Paul Kane's Journal of his Western Travels, 1846-1848 - History and ...

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Paul Kane. A WINTER SCENE IN THE ROCKIES. November 6, 1846. Waterco[or onpaper, 5/4 x 9". Collection, Stark Museum of Art. the steamboat, Kane had gone to fantastic lengths to overtake Simpson. He set a new and amazing local record for speed by setting off in a skiff with three boys, the eldest an eighteen-year-old stripling, and covering 90 miles of lake and river in less than 24 hours. He had caught up with the amazed Sir George at Sault Ste. Marie. At Fort Frances [on Rainy Lake, at the Minnesota - Ontario border] Simpson wrote a circular letter to aU Hudson's Bay Company officers in "Ruperts Land and Elsewhere," directing that the artist be given free transportation of company boats and "hospitalities" at aU posts. Kane, a guest of the Hudson's Bay Company. could go without cost anywhere within the vast territories it controlled. 16 That frantic nighttime traverse from Mackinac to the Sault begins the journal published here. Kane was off and running with the brigades of the Hudson's Bay Company. Two and a half years of wilderness travel brought Kane back to Toronto in October, 1848. He had accomplished the first stages of his Catlin-like project. Now carne the time to produce the studio oils and the book-length manuscript. Surviving correspondence The American Art Journal/Volume XXI • Number 2 shows that within a week of his return he had dictated and sent Simpson a letter about the possibilities of an illustrated publication. The governor answered with several suggestions. Whether he knew that Kane could write only phonetically is unclear, for he went ahead with recommendations of people whom Kane might contact and works that he might read. Perhaps Simpson assumed that Kane would use the services of a ghost-writer. Afterall, the practice was widespread in the travel writing of the period, 17 and Simpson, aquite literate man, had himself hired ghost-writers for his own recently published book, Narrative of a Journey round the World during the Years 1841 and 1842 (1847). 18 One cannot, in any case, help but infer that Kane had the help of others: although it is true as Harper remarks, that Kane's "journal contains much of what is now in Wanderings of an Artist " 19 the tone, the style, the degree of sophistication of the narrator's persona, the chapter divisions - indeed everything but the facts - differ very much indeed. Even the structure diverges significantly from the II
PAUL KANE. c. 1859. Photograph. Collection, Mrs. Paul Kane Ill.
Page 1 and 2: Volume XXI • Number 2 • 1989
Page 3 and 4: THE AMERICAN ART JOURNAL Published
Page 5 and 6: I rite this part of my jurnal over
Page 7 and 8: Paul Kane. CLACKAMAINDIANS, WILl.AM
Page 9 and 10: ngman of North Dakota and outhem Ma
Page 11: Paul Kane. FALLS ON THE UPPER PELOU
Page 15 and 16: dently seen the e two books t thoug
Page 17 and 18: I 1--- MAP TO ILLUSTRATE M'- KAN E
Page 19 and 20: Paul Kane. ENCAMPMENT, WINNIPEG RIV
Page 21 and 22: still smoking after having erupted
Page 23 and 24: Paul Kane. PIN PORTAGE. May, 1846.
Page 25 and 26: miskitas and black flies verrey bad
Page 27 and 28: Paul Kane. METIS CAMP AND HUNTERS.
Page 29 and 30: Paul Kane. TWO PORTRAIT STUDIES: AN
Page 31 and 32: u vrry ciod and good mlUl I rcmaned
Page 33 and 34: t' Paul Kane. FORT EDMONTON. Septem
Page 35 and 36: Paul Kane. TO-MA-QUIN A ASCADE CHIE
Page 37 and 38: Paul Kane. MOUNT HOOD FROM FORT VAN
Page 39 and 40: Paul Kane. MOUNT ST. HELENS. March
Page 41 and 42: Paul Kane. SAW-SE-A, A COWICHAN CHI
Page 43 and 44: Paul Kane. RETURN OF A WAR PARTY. A
Page 45 and 46: ." Paul Kane. OLD COX, A SANDWICH I
Page 47 and 48: Paul Kane. LOWER FALLS ON THE PELOU
Page 49 and 50: Paul Kane. MISSION STATION OF WALKE
Page 51 and 52: Paul Kane. THE LITTLE DALLES. Octob
Page 53 and 54: cd7.l1·· . ... •: ~t.: .' . ~ .
Page 55 and 56: Paul Kane. CUN-NE-WA-BUM, ONE THAT
Page 57 and 58: Paul Kane. FRAN~OIS LUCIE, A CREE H
Page 59 and 60: for the first day by a Mr. Prude ne
Page 61 and 62: Paul Kane. BRIGADE OF BOATS. July 2
Page 63 and 64:
Paul Kane. PETER JACOBS. WESLEY A
Page 65 and 66:
farlle fairly lose loose; lose fe~t
Page 67 and 68:
Guide to People and Places in Kane'
Page 69 and 70:
Coffin Rock Various Coast Salish tr
Page 71 and 72:
Coulitz R. The Cowlitz River, a tri
Page 73 and 74:
Ea MAP TO ILLUSTRATE in the TERR1TO
Page 75 and 76:
Dam has transfonned this stretch of
Page 77 and 78:
I • La hed (" Otter Head" in WA [
Page 79 and 80:
his right hand. He was noted as the
Page 81 and 82:
Paul Kane. NORWAY HOUSE. July or Au
Page 83 and 84:
Winnipeg, to which it is connected
Page 85 and 86:
George Simpson to open a trail from
Page 87 and 88:
·\ .. { Paul Kane. WHITE MUD PORTA
Page 89 and 90:
Selected Bibliography The author wi
Page 91 and 92:
Index Allan, George William, 8-9. 2
Page 93 and 94:
Mayer, Frank BlackweD, 14,21n. Mear
Page 95:
THE AMERICAN ART JOURNAL Published
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Paul Kane's Journal of his Western Travels, 1846-1848 - History and ...

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