Hudson's Bay Brigade Trail facts for kids
The Hudson's Bay Brigade Trail was a very important route used by the Hudson's Bay Company. This company was involved in the fur trade a long time ago. Traders used these trails to move furs, supplies, and goods between their main offices on the coast and their forts further inland.
The trail was also used for a special annual trip called the "Hudson's Bay Express." This was when the company's important books and profits (money they earned) were sent to their main headquarters.
The Old Main Route
The first and most used route of the Brigade Trail started at Fort Vancouver. This fort was located near the coast. From there, the trail followed the Columbia and Okanagan Rivers all the way to Fort Kamloops (which is now the city of Kamloops).
After Fort Kamloops, the trail went across the Bonaparte and Cariboo Plateau areas. It ended at the Fraser River at Fort Alexandria. From Fort Alexandria, the "Express" shipments would travel by river, often using the Peace River, to reach the Prairies and Rupert's Land. Rupert's Land was a huge area of land owned by the Hudson's Bay Company.
Another route for the Express went directly to Rupert's Land. This was called the York Factory Express. It followed the Columbia River to a place called Boat Encampment. From there, it crossed the mountains using passes like Howse Pass or Athabaska Pass.
Later on, the part of the trail from Fort Kamloops to Fort Alexandria became very popular. Many miners used it during the Cariboo Gold Rush. They called it the Brigade Trail. The southern part of the trail, between Fort Vancouver and Fort Kamloops, was known as the Okanagan Trail.
A New Route is Explored
The Hudson's Bay Company knew that the land around the Columbia River might be divided between different countries. So, they built a new fort called Fort Langley on the lower part of the Fraser River. This fort was north of where the new border would be.
The company then started looking for new routes. They wanted trails that would stay within British territory. This would allow their fur brigades to travel from the coast to the interior without crossing into other countries.
They looked at several options, including routes that later became known as the Lakes Route. They also considered passes in the southern Canadian Cascades mountains. These passes were later used by trails like the Dewdney Trail and the Crowsnest Highway.
The Difficult Fraser Canyon Trail
The best new route they found was a very tough one. It crossed the Canadian Cascades mountains, going over the east side of the Fraser Canyon near Spuzzum. From there, it went onto the Thompson Plateau and then to Fort Kamloops.
A lot of money was spent building this trail. It was very steep and narrow, carved right into the side of the mountains. It started at a place called Kequaloose, which is across the river from Spuzzum, near today's Alexandra Bridge.
However, this new trail was extremely difficult for pack animals (like horses or mules) to use. Because of how hard it was, the fur brigades only used it a few times. Many shipments on this route ended badly. The trail was not used anymore by the time of the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush.
Today's Trail
Even though the Fraser Canyon route was tough, some parts of it are still around today. The Fraser Valley Regional District helps maintain these sections as hiking trails. This includes the first big climb from Kequaloose.
