Retracing Simon Fraser's expedition

A hardy band of adventurers are retracing the journey of Simon Fraser and the North West Company to mark the 200th anniversary of the historic expedition.

Fraser and a company of 19, and two guides, left Fort St. James seeking a new route to connect to the Pacific Coast. There was considerable pressure from the company directors to link Ft. St. James and Fort George (modern-day Prince George) to the Columbia River.

“It was not until he got to Hope that he realized that the river, which he thought was the Columbia, turned the other way,” said Grant Rawston.

“Fraser and the North West Company thought the expedition was a failure, and celebrated with limited enthusiasm because it was a horrendous journey.”

As we now know, Fraser’s epic 36-day expedition not only “discovered” the Fraser River but also established the boundary between the fledgling United States of America and the new colony of British Columbia.

It’s in celebration of this feat that Rawston has organized a commemorative canoe trip by members of the Fort Langley Canoe Club which begins Sunday, July 20 in Fort St. James.

A co-ed team of paddlers from across the lower mainland, with support of paddlers from the north, will retrace Fraser’s journey along the Stuart and Nechako rivers to Prince George, then down the Fraser to Quesnel. This leg will take seven days, and stops include Marcus Olms Resort, Sturgeon Point, Chinlac Massacre site, Isle Pierre Rapids, Fort George, Whites Landing and Quesnel.

From Quesnel, the team will travel overland to Hope, where they will resume their paddle on Aug. 1 to the mouth of the Fraser. They will make overnight stops at Agassiz, Chilliwack and Fort Langley, culminating with a welcome ceremony at Vanier Park on Aug. 4.

Rawston said that the team has been training hard in preparation for the voyage, and he’s extensively “researched the safety of this part of the waters.” However, they’ve decided against risking the leg between Quesnel and Hope, and instead will follow the overland route of the later North West Company brigades.

“The brigades came from Ft. St. James to Alexandria, then basically down the Coquihalla to Hope,” said Rawston.

“Fraser needed First Nations help to get through the (Fraser) canyon, and he borrowed First Nations canoes north of Lytton because they were better suited to the waters.”

The canoe club members will, as is their tradition, be dressed in period costume for their arrival at Fort Langley’s Brigade Days on Aug. 3. They will also wear the costumes for ceremonies at several of the planned stops.

They will also be recording images and memories of their trip, and plan to share these with readers of the Black Press website.