Hats

David Thompson 1770-1857
Thompson learned from and respected Aboriginal
people he met, such as the Piegan chief
Saukamappee. He travelled more than 80,000
kilometres for the North West Company in the early
1800s on foot, by canoe and on horseback, mapping
huge areas. His Métis wife Charlotte, and their 13
children came with him much of the way.
John Rae 1813-1893
As a doctor at the HBC post in Moose Factory
in what is now Ontario, Rae became interested
in fur-trading and exploring the Arctic. Born
in Scotland’s Orkney Islands, he learned
snowshoeing, hunting, igloo-building and other
skills from the Cree and Inuit.
Isobel Gunn, about 1780-1861
HBC employee John Fubbister “worked at anything
and well like the rest of the men.” So everyone was
shocked when “John” — actually a young woman
named Isobel Gunn — gave birth to a baby in a
trading post at Pembina in 1807. HBC sent her and her
son back home to Orkney in 1809.
?
1778 1653
1779 1653
1780 1653
1781-1782 1653
Robert Carter, Wikipedia, Library and Archives Canada
Captain
James Cook
stops off the
B.C. coast
to trade for
sea-otter
fur with
Aboriginal
people
English, Scottish
and French-
Canadian
businessmen in
Montreal form
the North West
Company to
compete with
HBC
An English
company
makes
the first
Hudson’s Bay
Company
point blanket,
with black
stitched lines
or points
The terrible
disease smallpox
kills huge
numbers of
Plains Cree, who
catch it from
European traders
Kayak #54 december 2015
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