122 SANDFOED FLEMING ON 



famed Fraser River by the sea. The lew who went overlaud IVoin the east, struck away 

 from the Saskatchewan to the southward of the iuteruatioual boundary, aud entered 

 either by Fort Colville aud Porthxud, or by Fort Colville and Similkameeu. Dr. A. P. 

 Reid aud five others started to fiud their way by one of these routes. They left Fort 

 Garry on June 13th, 1861 ; they travelled by way of Fort EUioe, Carlton, Fort Pitt 

 and Edmonton ; turning southward, they crossed Bow Kiver aud, by a southern pass, 

 reached Kootenay River. They were weak in numbers aud had only an imiierfect idea 

 of the difficulties of the route ; in consequence, they suffered much hardship, fell short 

 of food, aud reached Fort Colville in great distress on November 2Gth. 



(6) MigrcUion of a large pariij of Canadians, 1862. 



The discovery of gold on the Fraser exercised a powerful influence on the history of 

 British Columbia; so that in 1860 a considerable population had assembled within the 

 province, all, or nearly all of whom, was engaged iu mining. The first rush to the 

 gold mines was in 1858; the rich discoveries made in 1861 on AVilliam's Creek, caused 

 a second immigration. The excitement resulting from the bountiful i^resence of the 

 precious metal extended iu all directions, so that men gathered from every quarter. 

 In 1862 it influenced many adventurous natures in Ontario to visit the scene of the 

 discovery, iu the hope of bettering their fortunes. Many hundreds went rouud by 

 Panama. A large comj^any was formed to find its way overland ; it consisted of 193 men, 

 made up of detachments from Queeustowu, St. Thomas, Huntington, Ottawa, Toronto, 

 London, Montreal, Huron and a few from Ogdensburg. They left their homes during the 

 month of April, to rendezvous at St. Paul, Minnesota. From St. Paul they proceeded, by 

 Burbank's stages, to Red River, which they descended, by the steamer " International," 

 to Fort G-arry. 



At Fort Garry they completed their organization for the journey. Their number 

 was increased to two hundred by the addition of seven persons from the Red River 

 settlement, among whom were Mr. aud Mrs. Schubert and three small children. The 

 expedition left Fort Garry on June 2ud ; it formed a train consisting of about ninety 

 Red River carts, each drawn by .an ox. There were also about fifty saddle horses with 

 the party. The journey across the plains was necessarily slow, aud they only came in 

 sight of Fort Edmonton on July 21st, having accomplished some 900 miles of their 

 journey from Fort Garry, without any serious hardships having been eucountered. 



At Fort Edmonton they exchanged the carts for pack saddles, and left for the moun- 

 tains on July 29th. Their route was by the ordinary trail, imperfectly defined, through 

 forest and swamp to Jaspar House, and thence up the valleys of the Athabasca and Myette 

 to the Yellow Head pass, where the river Fraser takes its rise ; following which they 

 reached Tête-Jaune-Cache on August 28th. Here those constituting the party were 

 unable to decide as to the route they shovild follow. . It was finally agreed to divide into 

 two parties, each division to act independently of the other and follow the direction it 

 might select. Both of them left Tête-Jaune-Cache on the same day, September 2nd. 

 The larger number made rafts by which they descended the Fraser, which at tliis point 

 flows north-westerly. Those who trusted to the river had many mishaps and underwent 

 suffering, but they arrived at the mouth of the Quesnel on September 11th. They lost 



