Following the perilous expedition of one hundred and fifty Canadian pioneers to British Columbia, this publication uncovers the dangers and difficulties of the company’s odyssey to the Gold Fields. Written by the wife of one of the pioneers, this work offers an extensive look into this significant period of Canadian history, detailing the journey to Fort Garry, entering the Rocky Mountains, reaching the Thompson River, and finally arriving at Cariboo.
Originally published in 1896, this work was pieced together using the diaries and recollections of Mr. Thomas McMicking, Messrs. George C. Tunstall and Archibald McNaughton (the author’s husband). Written in a narrative format, this valuable glimpse of Canadian history provides us with an intriguing historical account of the Overland Expedition of 1862. This is the story of a group of approximately 150 Canadian speculators who were the first to cross from Canada to British Columbia overland, thus they earned the name ‘Overlanders.’ Many of these pioneers were youths from various parts of Eastern Canada leaving home on a mission to develop the country. They ventured from Montreal to British Columbia through the Hudson’s Bay Territory in the hopes of striking gold. The story of this first pass through the vast and hostile terrain, as seen through the eyes of a 19-year-old boy from Montreal, begins with his travels to Fort Garry (now the city of Winnipeg). It describes the dangerous journey across the prairies, the turbulent rapids of the Fraser River, the Rocky Mountains and the Thompson River Expedition. Complete with portraits of several ‘Overlanders,’ biographical sketches, old photographs, illustrations, a map of the town of Kamloops in 1896, extracts from Sawney’s Letters and Cariboo Rhymes, and a new full-name index. This work will make an interesting and valuable addition to any library.
Margaret McNaughton
(1896), 5½x8½, paper, , 174 pp.
ISBN: 9780788448263
101-M4826
