Prophecy of the Swan: The Upper Peace River Fur Trade of 1794-1823

238 Pages·1996·19.592 MB·English

by  David V. Burley, J. Scott Hamilton, Knut R. Fladmark

Prophecy of the Swan
Many written histories of the fur trade attempt to present both the events and
the spirit of the exploration of, and rivalry over, western Canada. These histo-
ries vary from the fact-ridden dryness of historical chronicle to the more pop-
ular romantic depiction of a way of life lost in time. Prophecy of the Swan is a
unique integration of historic information and achaeological discovery, which
provides a vivid, yet factual, portrayal of life in some of the most isolated fur-
trade posts in late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century North America.
Employing information recovered from over two decades of archaeological
excavation as well as from the few existing journals of day-to-day business
written by company clerks, the authors piece together a detailed account of
the upper Peace River fur trade and its posts, the individuals who were
involved in its exploration and commerce, the intense competition between
the North West Company and the Hudson's Bay Company, and, finally, the
shocking 'massacre of St Johns/
Written by archaeologists, Prophecy of the Swan further portrays life on an
archaeological project - the endless hours of digging, the exacting work meth-
ods, and the small rewards inherent in discovery. Yet it also captures the mys-
tique and romance that surround such an evocation of history. As the authors
explain, 'When standing upon the hearthstones of such long-abandoned
structures, one feels the power of the past and experiences it in ways that are
difficult to describe/
David V. Burley is a professor in the Department of Archaeology at Simon
Fraser University.
/. Scott Hamilton is an associate professor in the Department of Anthropology
at Lakehead University.
Knut R. Fladmark is a professor in the Department of Archaeology at Simon
Fraser University.
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David V. Burley, J. Scott Hamilton,
and Knut R. Fladmark
Prophecy of the Swan:
The Upper Peace River Fur Trade
of 1794-1823
UBCPress /Vancouver
© UBC Press 1996
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in
a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without prior
written permission of the publisher.
Printed in Canada on acid-free paper 0
ISBN 0-7748-0544-7
Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data
David Burley, 1950-
Prophecy of the swan
Includes bibliographic references and index.
ISBN 0-7748-0544-7
1. Peace River Region (B.C. and Alta.) - Antiquities. 2. Fur trade - Peace River
Region (B.C. and Alta.) - History- 18th century. 3. Fur trade - Peace River Region
(B.C. and Alta.) - History- 19th century. 4. Peace River Region (B.C. and Alta.) -
History. I. Hamilton, J. Scott (James Scott), 1956- II. Fladmark, Knut R., 1946-
III. Title
FC3843.7.A5B87 1995 971.1'87 C95-910608-1
F1089.P3B87 1995
This book has been published with a grant from the Social Science Federation of
Canada, using funds provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research
Council of Canada.
UBC Press gratefully acknowledges the ongoing support to its publishing program
from the Canada Council, the Province of British Columbia Cultural Services
Branch, and the Department of Communications of the Government of Canada.
UBC Press
University of British Columbia
6344 Memorial Road
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2
[phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [email protected]
Makenunatane began his life as a dreamer in the role of hunt chief. He ended
it dreaming about the changes brought on by the whiteman. He began as a
swan chief empowered by Saya the culture hero and ended as a trading chief
empowered by the whiteman's culture hero, Jesus.
— Robin Ridington (1979, 76)
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Contents
Illustrations / ix
Acknowledgments / xi
Introduction / xv
1 Before the Fur Trade / 3
2 First Nations of the Valley / 12
3 The Canadian Fur Trade and Peace River History / 21
4 Rediscovering History / 37
5 Rocky Mountain Fort / 49
6 Rocky Mountain Portage House and New Caledonia / 66
7 St Johns/81
8 Yale and Mclntosh / 98
9 Artifacts of the Fur Trade /111
10 The Massacre of St Johns / 126
11 Postscript/ 137
Appendix A: Rocky Mountain Fort Journal / 139
Appendix B: St Johns Journal / 152
Appendix C: Artifact Assemblages and Spatial Distribution of Rocky
Mountain Fort and St Johns / 182
Notes / 187
References / 203
Index / 209
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Illustrations
1 Upper Peace River District and its tributary drainages in British Columbia.
Adapted from Brody (1981) / xvi
2 Archaeological recording of the main house fireplace in St Johns, summer
1976 / xix
3 Projected extent of the ice-free corridor. Adapted from Prest, Vincent, and
McAndrews (1987) / 4
4 Stone artifacts from Charlie Lake Cave, near Fort St John. Courtesy of Jon
Driver, Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University I 6
5 Early morning river mist in the upper Peace River valley near Rocky
Mountain Fort, summer 1987 / 10
6 Traditional territories of select Native groups in western Canada. Adapted
from Helm (1981, ix) / 12
7 Economic and settlement cycle of upper Peace River Beaver people in the
historic era. Adapted from Brody (1981, 198-9) / 16
8 Sekani man setting a trap for lynx, 1914. Courtesy Royal British Columbia
Museum, Negative PN3482 / 18
9 Painting by Francis Hopkins of a canoe manned by voyageurs passing a
waterfall. Courtesy National Archives of Canada, C-2771 / 22
10 North West Company heraldry. Courtesy National Archives of Canada, C-
8711/25
11 Principal canoe routes of western Canada and select fur-trade post loca-
tions. Adapted from Tanner (1977) / 26
12 Select fur-trade post locations on Lake Athabasca and the Peace River,
1778-1823 / 29
13 Looking south at the confluence of Moberly and Peace rivers, summer
1986 / 30
14 Field school students excavating palisade post in St Johns, summer 1976 / 41
15 Finola Finlay examines a test excavation of a stockade trench in Yale's
post, summer 1976 / 43