CANORA – Archaeology and genealogy have long been thought of as two separate areas of study, but on Sept. 19, the two came together in a day of learning that began at the CN Station House Museum in Canora.
Members of the Yorkton Genealogical Society came to the museum in the morning to hear from historian Cecil Machnee of Canora regarding his study of Fort Alexandria of the North West Company and Fort Hibernia of the Hudson Bay Company, which were each located near the Upper Assiniboine River north of Canora during the late 1790s and early 1800s.
Doris Mabin, Yorkton Genealogical Society secretary, explained their interest. “We want to tie in genealogy with the fur trading forts in this area. We want to find out how things got going, especially since a lot of people don’t know much about these forts, which were active over 200 years ago.”
Machnee added, “European explorers, including a number of Scots, married local women. This is where the genealogy aspect comes in. I’m actually a Scot. The forts were the centre of their community.”
At Canora’s CN Station House Museum, Machnee showed the group a collection of artifacts accumulated at the two fort sites and donated to the museum by him and his family.
The collection includes: pipe stems, muskets, musket flints, a musket ball, kitchen knives, folding knives, arrowheads, buttons, rings and belt buckles.
While discussing the artifacts, Machnee reminded everyone, “Remember, just the hard-surfaced items survived.”
A centre of trade
After the visit to the museum, Machnee took the group out for a tour of the sites of Fort Alexandria and Fort Hibernia.
He said that the forts of that time have often been thought of as being dependent, isolated outposts situated in a wilderness with only the bare essentials for existing, an image that is not supported by Machnee’s findings.
“The forts were exciting hubs of activity and were very self-sufficient. Instead of being dependent they made most items locally, were a net exporter of goods and supplied almost all their own necessities for life.”
Fort Hibernia (Hudson Bay Company) appears in an early 1790s map of the travels of explorer Alexander Mackenzie, as Carlton House or Charton Howse. Hudson Bay archives show that the fort was built in 1795. The House was destroyed in 1799 and was closed in 1800, and was probably visited by Daniel Harmon in 1801. It was reopened and called Fort Hibernia from 1807-1821.
Daniel Harmon joined the Northwest Company at the age of 22 in 1800, and was posted to Fort Alexandria. His fame rests mainly on his journal, which is one of the only published accounts of the fur trade in the early 1800s.
“Fort Alexandria was situated on the south bank of the Assiniboine and Fort Hibernia on the north bank,” said Machnee.
The population of the forts could vary considerably depending on the season. When Harmon arrived at Alexandria in June of 1801, he found he had to feed 100 people. It is not clear if this population included the six Cree families encamped about the fort. Various Indigenous tribes or groups would settle around the fort for several days or even for a season. Some came to trade, some for medical care, while the families of hunters or trappers stayed longer while their men folk were collecting furs or meat.
Fort facilities
Harmon further elaborated that Fort Alexandria consisted of houses and stores, well built, plastered inside and out and washed over with white earth. He refers to a hall, probably a dining hall where dances were held. The hall had a chimney that was mended in January 1801.
In addition to the buildings mentioned by Harmon, Fort Alexandria had a meat house with a capacity for the meat of at least 85 buffalo cows, which was later converted to pemmican.
“An ice house was finished at Fort Alexandria in April of 1801,” said Machnee. “It is located near another building, the boat house. Since the river floods during the spring we may assume both houses were located up from the river or perhaps even inside the fort. The ice house was plastered with earth and covered with earth, most likely to insulate to keep the ice from melting.”
The diaries shed light on the food industry at the forts. Fort Alexandria was known as a major supplier of pemmican and grease for the voyageurs as well as for other forts.
“One account tells of one shipment from Alexandria consisting of 62 bags, 90 lbs. each of pemmican, fourteen 70 lb. kegs of grease or tallow leaving for Swan River,” said Machnee. “The 6,560 lbs. payload was carried by 13 horses and 13 dog sledges. The location of Alexandria was well suited for food production and may have been one reason it was situated at the end of a long ten by four mile plain to the south.”
Machnee explained that, from their locations, the forts had fairly direct access to markets in Hudson Bay and Winnipeg, giving them the flexibility to choose which location was offering the best prices for the goods they had for sale.
Food sources
For the production of pemmican, in addition to the meat, the other components such as salt, berries and grease were also nearby.
“From Harmon’s accounts and even to this day, the fort sites and the Assiniboine Valley produces an abundance of chokecherries, Saskatoons, and high bush cranberries. Grease would have been rendered from the buffalo. The salt was produced by boiling down the water from a salt spring between Alexandria and Swan River.”
“Even though Fort Alexandria exported food, the diaries indicate cycles of feast and famine,” said Machnee. “One reason for famine was that the population of the fort was substantial and as Harmon records, the 70 people he was in charge of could consume 450 pounds a day. When the buffalo wandered far from the fort, game like moose, deer, and elk were hunted. They were not as plentiful and more difficult to kill. The preference for fresh meat, and the export of pemmican and poor preservation technology contributed to the feast and famine cycle.”
The diet was not only meat, but most forts also had a garden. In his diary, Harmon writes of the cultivation of plants such as potatoes, peas and oats.
“Other forts of the time grew barley and turnips in their gardens and these plants as well as others most likely would have been planted at Alexandria,” said Machnee. “If barley was grown we may suspect brewing was practiced. A variety of wild hops grow along the river. There is no other strong evidence for brewing except for the almost unlimited demand for alcohol by the Indian traders.”
Another important food item mentioned in the diaries was clams. The soil at both fort sites are loaded with bone fragments and clam fragments. Bone fragments are probably buffalo or large game animals. The relative abundance of clam shells compared to the bone fragments indicate that many clams were harvested. Clams from the Whitesand and Assiniboine rivers can still be harvested today. The fact that the clam shells were brought to the fort site may indicate they had· a valve as a utensil, scraper or as decoration.
Work and leisure
According to Harmon, leisure time comprised about five-sixths of the time he spent in Fort Alexandria. This may have been the case of the people running the fort, but it seems from the diaries that the tradesmen and labourers spent much more time working. For example it took a whole day to hard-build a keg or several days to make over 100 nails. Everything from gardening, making hay, making pemmican, preparing skins, transporting and hunting was very labour intensive.
Machnee said it’s safe to say that these forts were a definite economic asset to their companies during the time they were in use.
“The diaries relating to Fort Alexandria and the fragments which surface due to farming operations tell an interesting story. The forts were busy and self-sustaining communities.
"They were interconnected with other forts and with the buffalo and fur harvesting areas by means of roads as well as river. Mail service was available. The forts had the capacity and skilled workers to do the work of a blacksmith, gunsmith, carpenter, and cooper. Items made at the forts included wooden and hide boats, furniture, sleds, lumber and leather clothing.
“Food was preserved by drying, salting as well as cooling provided by the ice house. The variety of food was large thanks to plenty of game, a good kitchen garden, and wild fruit, nuts, and mushrooms. There is evidence that the forts may have had a brewing arid steel making operation. Salt and sugar were produced 1ocally.
“Leisure time was filled with numerous forms of entertainment. Ceramic and pewter utensils, eyeglasses, scissors, books, razors, and silver jewelry show the people at the forts enjoyed luxury items. Medical services were available.
“By European standards of the time the people at the forts lived well.”
Machnee said the forts were shut down in 1821 mostly because they weren’t making any money any more.
Archeological dig potential
He welcomed questions throughout the day from everyone on the tour. When asked about the possibility of getting a nearby university out to do a dig at one, or both, of the fort sites, he replied, “A student would have to show interest in getting the ball rolling.”
It is expected that a dig would add significant details to the knowledge of the forts.
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