DAVID THOMPSON. 149 



immediately proceeded eastward to Kaministiquia. There is now a 

 break in his journal till October 10th, but Harmon states he met him 

 at Cumberland House on September 11th on his way west from the 

 New Fort (Kaministiquia) to Fort des Praries. This latter appears 

 to have been a general name used for the principal fort for the time 

 being on the North Saskatchewan. On October 11th he is just ar- 

 riving at Rocky Mountain House, where he remained trading with 

 the Indians throughout the following winter. 



On May lOth, 1807, he set off on hoi'seback for the Rocky Moun- 

 tains, along the north side of the Saskatchewan, while Mr. Finnan 

 McDonild took a canoe with provisions up the River. On June 3rd 

 they reached the Kootanie Plain, a wide, open flat on the nortli side 

 of the river within the mountains, which he places in Latitude 52° 2' 

 6", and on June 6th they reached the Forks. They turned up the 

 south branch of the stream, but, after ascending it for three miles, 

 were obliged to stop as they could take the canoe no further. They 

 remained here till June 25th, when packing everything that they 

 wished to take with them on the backs of their horses they started to 

 cross the mountains. At one o'clock on the above day they reached 

 the height of land in Lat. 51° 48' 27", from which point they descended 

 along the banks of a mountain torrent bo "Kootanie " (Columbia) 

 River, which they reached on June 30th in Lat. 51° 25' 14", Long. 

 11G8 52' 45", having thus come through the mountain by what is now 

 known as the Howse Pass down the Blaeberry River; a pass that was 

 afterwards examined by Dr. Hector in 1859, and described by him in 

 Palliser's Report to the British Government. This pass was not used 

 by Howse till 1810, thi^ee years after Thompson made his first trip over 

 it. He remained at his camp near the mouth of the Blaeberry till 

 July 12th, repacking the stuff and building canoes. On this date, 

 having placed all the trading goods in canoes, he set out and ascended 

 the river, reaching the Lower Columbia Lake on July 18th. At the 

 north end of this lake he began to build in Lat. SO'* 31' 24"; but find- 

 ing the place unsuitable, on July 29 he moved down the river to about 

 a mile from the lake, and built Fort Kootanie on the west side Oi the 

 Columbia River, in Lat. SO'^ 32' 15", Long. 115° ST 40" Var. 24|o 

 E. There is now a village of Shuswap Indians about opposite to 

 where the old fo)-t used to stand. 



