184 THE WILDERNESS OF THE UPPER YUKON 



structed a trading post, Fort Pelly Banks, thirty-one miles 

 above Hoole Canon. In 1843, Campbell, accompanied 

 by Hoole, two French Canadians and three Indians, left 

 that place in a canoe and descended to the Lewes River, 

 which he named after Chief Factor, John Lee Lewes. 

 In 1848, Campbell established Fort Selkirk at the junc- 

 tion of the Pelly and Lewes. 



In 1849, the post at Pelly Banks was accidently burnt 

 and in 1850 was abandoned. In that same year, Camp- 

 bell descended the main Yukon to the mouth of the Por- 

 cupine, and proved that the Lewes, Pelly, and Yukon 

 were identical. In 1852, on the 2ist of August, Fort Sel- 

 kirk was pillaged by the Chilkat Indians, and the post 

 had to be abandoned. Campbell set out in a canoe, 

 ascended the Pelly, crossed to Lake Frances, descended 

 the Liard, and arrived at Fort Simpson the aist of Octo- 

 ber. After winter set in, he travelled overland to Crow 

 Wing in Minnesota, arriving there the i3th of March, 

 and reached London the i8th of April. Such a wonderful 

 journey, undertaken for the purpose of persuading Sir 

 George Simpson to re-establish Fort Selkirk, deserved 

 more recognition than it received, for the directors of 

 the company decided to abandon the Selkirk trading post 

 altogether. 



As an explorer, Robert Campbell, discoverer of the 

 Pelly and the Lewes, the true sources of the upper Yukon, 

 deserves to rank among those mighty men, Hearne, Mac- 

 Kenzie, Dease, and Simpson. He left no book to ex- 

 ploit his achievements, but fortunately Dr. George M. 

 Dawson established communication with him before 



