Volume 1

222 FORT WILLIAM—THE CAMPBELLS.
We found great improvements had been made for
one winter— fort, store, shop, etc., built, but not enough
Only one range was erected, and that not
dwelhng houses.
complete ; here were the mess room and apartments for the
agents from Montreal, with a temporary kitchen adjoining.
We were obliged to erect our tents during our stay, which
seldom exceeded 20 days. Building was going on briskly
in every corner of the fort; brick kilns had been erected
and were turning out many bricks, so that we shall have
Thompson met on the Saskatchewan July 3d, 18 10, between Carp r. and the
mouth of Bow r. , in a small canoe with one Duplessier, from Cumberland
House.—The Campbells are naturally numerous, considering the marked Scotch
element in the N. W. Co. ; but few of them are easily identifiable. The most
prominent name is John Duncan Campbell, a partner of the company, in 1799
in the Upper Fort des Prairies and Rocky Mountain Dept.;' signer of the
Montreal agreement of Nov. 5th, 1804, by his attys. ; in 1819 captured with
Benjamin Frobisher, Angus Shaw, John G. McTavish, and some others, imprisoned
for some months and released.—From him is to be distinguished a
Duncan Campbell, listed as clerk and interpreter N. W. Co., English r., after
the fusion of 1804. He thus comes close to Henry's man in grade and date, if
not the same individual.—Colin or Collin Campbell of the N. W. Co. stands
out well for identity ; he wintered 1812-13 at Fort Dunvegan on Peace r., and
was in temporary charge of it during John Macgillivray's absence in Feb. and
Mar.—Mr. J. Campbell was on the Kaministiquia route in July, 1804.— " Mr."
Campbell was at New Cumberland House June 23d, 1797. " Mr." Campbell
wintered in the Athabasca country 1 799-1 800. " Mr." Campbell of the N. W.
Co. was on Rapid r. late in 1804. "Mr." Campbell was on Lake Winnipeg
in June, 1806. " Mr." Campbell left Rainy Lake House Aug. 3d, 1808,
for the interior. " Mr." Campbell was at Fort Isle a la Crosse in June,
1812, with Mr. Black. " Mr." Campbell left Fort William for his winter
quarters Aug. 5th, 1812, with Mr. Thomson (not David Thompson). Some
of the foregoing items unquestionably mean Colin Campbell, and others may
relate to John Duncan Campbell.—One Campbell, free trader on Minnesota r.
with J. B. Faribault, 1804 and later, was soon killed at mouth of St. Mary's
r.,
near Drummond isL, in a duel with one Crawford, brother of one Crawford
of the N. W. Co.
This case is a typical illustration of the difficulty experienced
in sifting fur-trade annals for the identification of personal names, so seldom are
they given in full. One clew, good as far as it goes, is found in the fact that
persons of the grade of clerk and upward were "gentlemen," generally " mistered"
in speaking and writing, all the others being " men," to whom no form
of address or title was applicable, as a rule.
Scotch names are generally of the
highest class, but often also attach to half-breeds ; amount of wages is sometimes
a useful indication.