Jump to content

More North Cascades trivia


Lowell_Skoog

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 388
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

HarryMajors said:

Anyone who knows of David Thompson and ...

 

I rather blindly stumbled across a recent account of Thompson's western explorations ( "Sources of the River" ISBN#1570610061) a few years ago and was overwhelmed, leading me to mention it when the 'reading list' topic came up. I figured the underrepresented nature of his (largely Canadian) history gave me a clean shot at Dru... who nonetheless proved well-armed enough for a cogent response.

 

I initially came across the book as part of my general interest in both early NW exploration and the Columbia River in particular. I suppose there were a few positive aspects of growing up in Astoria...

 

I'll take advantage of the topic to point out that Thompson's history is extremely compelling reading. Many of his maps were used by L&C and the Corps of Discovery. Had Thompson not been beset by the bureaucratic fumblings of the Hudson Bay Company, L&C would very likely have arrived at the mouth of the Columbia to find a British flag. Then we would have been the one with the Wanker problem...

 

-t

Link to comment
Share on other sites

terrible_ted said:

HarryMajors said:

Anyone who knows of David Thompson and ...

 

I rather blindly stumbled across a recent account of Thompson's western explorations ( "Sources of the River" ISBN#1570610061) a few years ago and was overwhelmed, leading me to mention it when the 'reading list' topic came up. I figured the underrepresented nature of his (largely Canadian) history gave me a clean shot at Dru... who nonetheless proved well-armed enough for a cogent response.

 

I initially came across the book as part of my general interest in both early NW exploration and the Columbia River in particular. I suppose there were a few positive aspects of growing up in Astoria...

 

I'll take advantage of the topic to point out that Thompson's history is extremely compelling reading. Many of his maps were used by L&C and the Corps of Discovery. Had Thompson not been beset by the bureaucratic fumblings of the Hudson Bay Company, L&C would very likely have arrived at the mouth of the Columbia to find a British flag. Then we would have been the one with the Wanker problem...

 

-t

 

 

um, I hate to point this out, the British had already BEEN ON the west coast at the time, including to mouth of columbia, in sailing ships....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd have to go back and review the details, but essentially those ships didn't have the 'legal authority' to make those claims, unlike Thompson. I think it had to do with knowing the actual course of the upper Columbia River.

 

When people ask where I went to school, I like to tell them Captain Robert Gray Elementary.

 

-t

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the only reason the US got oregon and washington was because they settled the Oregon Territory faster than the British could. has nothing to do with L&C vs Dave Thompson or whoever planted the flag & made the claim first.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dru said:

the only reason the US got oregon and washington was because they settled the Oregon Territory faster than the British could. has nothing to do with L&C vs Dave Thompson or whoever planted the flag & made the claim first.

 

Back then it didn't have to do with settlement, flags, or who was there. Back then it was whoever could map out the place, could claim it. A map was considered the legal document for the land claim between disputing entities. Since shipgoers were usually tied to their ships, they really could not map out the interior land.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the HBC and the Americans both had maps and forts built up and down the Columbia but what settled it was the Oregon trail and the fact that more Americans than British settled in it. It's kinda like the current Chinese government moving all the ethnic Chinese into Tibet and Xinjiang or what the Soviets did moving ethnic groups around to other SSRs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dru said:

um, I hate to point this out, the British had already BEEN ON the west coast at the time, including to mouth of columbia, in sailing ships....

 

Now your talking about something ole Peter remembers quite well....ah the old days before the conquest of the Southern picketts.

 

 

PP bigdrink.gif

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

FROM HBC WEB page:

 

The Company's rapid expansion during the 1970s, however, added heavily to its debt. This, combined with rising interest rates and the economic recession of the 1980s, strained its resources severely.

 

In response, the Company concentrated its energies on its retail businesses. Consequently, it divested itself of businesses and investments including its Wholesale department, Northern Stores and Fur divisions and Markborough, which it considered peripheral to its central interests. The Company continues to expand its retail operations with acqusitions such as Kmart and new outlets like the Outfitters store in Toronto.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dru said:

the HBC and the Americans both had maps and forts built up and down the Columbia but what settled it was the Oregon trail and the fact that more Americans than British settled in it. It's kinda like the current Chinese government moving all the ethnic Chinese into Tibet and Xinjiang or what the Soviets did moving ethnic groups around to other SSRs.

 

Wrong analogy Dru, since the Brits were hardly indigenous. Might be better to compare it to the Brits and the Dutch in South Africa.

 

Its a pity 54-40 or fight didn't go over as doctrine, we'd have had a lot more cool peaks in our country and the drive to Squamish would be a bit shorter.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Off_White said:

Dru said:

the HBC and the Americans both had maps and forts built up and down the Columbia but what settled it was the Oregon trail and the fact that more Americans than British settled in it. It's kinda like the current Chinese government moving all the ethnic Chinese into Tibet and Xinjiang or what the Soviets did moving ethnic groups around to other SSRs.

 

Wrong analogy Dru, since the Brits were hardly indigenous. Might be better to compare it to the Brits and the Dutch in South Africa.

 

Its a pity 54-40 or fight didn't go over as doctrine, we'd have had a lot more cool peaks in our country and the drive to Squamish would be a bit shorter.

 

Well I am glad we didn't get Oregon.... it would suck having resposibility over all that choss

 

And PP you can still pay for goods with furs in certain areas of northern Canada... they may have mostly quit the business but I'd say that bartering goods for furs is "fur trade"?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dru said:

wonder if if anyone who was recently up on spickard took a photo of the east face of east mox?

 

Yahoo, I finally bought myself a scanner. It's such an enjoyable time waster that I probably won't get anything useful done for a month. wink.gif Here is a picture of East Mox from Spickard in 1995.

 

220921-mox1.jpg

220921-mox1.jpg.684ee2c479e987fc0538b20f758bef9a.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.




×
×
  • Create New...