[nowLiNG] PIONEERS OF JASPER PARK 243 



Far V. est," says that Donald McKenzie took the papers of the Pacific 

 Fur Company to be delivered to Mr. Astor in New York. Of those 

 passing through the Athabaska pass two only seem to have left records 

 of the trip. John McDonald of Garth was in charge of the first 

 canoe. His journal was published' but contains little geographic 

 information. The following note is quoted: — 



"It took us, I think, fairly four days hard work before we got 

 fairly out of the mountains to Jasper Haw's House at a small lake, 

 the source of the Athabaska river." 



Gabriel Franchere who followed in one of the succeeding canoes 

 had been a clerk in the Pacific Fur Company (Astor's venture). He 

 was released when this concern was purchased by the North West Co. 

 and given a passage east to Montreal. His journal published in 

 French was republished in English as ''Franchere s Narrative.'' His 

 party reached the Athabaska river on May 16th, 1814. 



"Coming at last to a high promontory called Millets rock, Miette 

 in French edition, we found some of our foot travellers with Messrs. 

 Stewart and Clarke, who were on horseback, all at a stand, doubting 

 whether it would answer to wade round the base of the rock, which 

 dipped in the water. We sounded the stream for them and found 

 it fordable so they all passed round, thereby avoiding the inland path 

 which is excessively fatiguing by reason of the hills which it is 

 necessary perpetually to mount and descend. "- 



"On the 19th we raised our camp and followed the shore of the 

 little dry lake, along a smooth sandy beach, having abandoned our 

 little bark canoe, both because it had become nearly unserviceable 

 and because we knew ourselves to be very near Rocky Mountains 

 House. In fact we had not gone above five or six miles when we dis- 

 cerned a column of smoke on the opposite side of the stream. We 

 immediately forded across and arrived at the post where we found 

 Messrs. McDonald (of Garth), Stewart and McKenzie who had 

 preceded us only two days."^ This post was under the charge of a 

 Mr. Decoigne. 



Ross Cox, in charge of a large number of Pacific Fur Company 

 people returning after the absorption of the Company left Fort 

 George April 16th, 1817. He says "our party consisted of eighty-six 

 souls and was perhaps the largest and most mixed that ever ascended 

 the Columbia." In crossing the Athabaska pass, he mentions a 

 mountain towering above the others called McGillivray's rock in 

 honour of the late Mr. Wm. McGillivray. This was probably sug- 



^ Les Bourgeois de les Compagnie de Nord-ouest Masson, Vol. II, p. 52. 

 ^ Francheres Narrative, p. 296. 

 ' Francheres Narnitivc, p. 297. 



