Dr. Peter Murphy describes the history of the fur trade in Canada and the race between the American and the Canadians to reach the Pacific via overland and the Columbia River. For Canadian fur traders, the Great Portage, "La Grande Traverse" was the one of the two major portages on the fur trading route from York Factory on Hudson Bay to the mouth of the Columbia River on the west coast. From 1811 onwards for almost fifty years, this was a key route traveled twice a year by Canadian fur trading expeditions.
In Part 5, the last section in Dr. Peter Murphy's presentation, he describes in maps and photos the section of the La Grande Traverse from the crossing of the Athabasca River up through the Athabasca Pass to the "Committee's Punch Bowl" and down over the Continental Divide to the Columbia River in British Columbia.
Dr. Peter Murphy is Professor Emeritus of Forestry with the Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta. He is co-author of " A Hard Road to Travel" about the land. forests and people of the Upper Athabasca River from Hinton, Alberta to Jasper National Park. His presentation was the evening keynote address at the 2013 Forest History Association of Alberta annual general meeting, March 2013.
This video is part 5 of 5.
