Overland from Canada to British ColumbiaSpurred on by reports of gold in the Cariboo, adventurers from all over the world descended on British Columbia in the mid-1800s. Among them were ambitious easterners who accepted the challenge of the shorter but more arduous overland route across the prairies and the Rockies. One such man determined to find his fortune in the West was Thomas McMicking - destined to lead the largest and best organized group of "Overlanders" into British Columbia. His record of their epic journey is a valuable historical document that possesses the universal appeal of an adventure story. McMicking presents a vivid image of the hardships of the overland route, the dangers, both real and imagined - like the apparently threatening Plains Indians who turned out to be "our best friends" - facts about important officials and settlements, and scientific observations of the physical environment. But this is also a very human document that describes a journey of self-discovery revealing a sensitive man's encounter with a bountiful and beautiful yet hostile and alien land. |
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Overland from Canada to British Columbia: By Mr. Thomas McMicking of ... Joanne Leduc Limited preview - 2011 |
Common terms and phrases
A.L. Fortune Alberta Alexander animals appeared arrived Assiniboine Athabasca Athabaska bank British Columbia buffalo camped Canada Canadian canoes Cariboo Carlton Carlton Trail carts Chubbuck Colonist Creek crossing Diary and Narrative distance Dobson Prest Ellice Fannin Fort Ellice Fort Garry Fort George Fort Kamloops Fraser River Garry George Georgetown gold Hind Hind's Hudson's Bay Company Indians introduction note James Jasper House John Sellar Journal journey Kamloops kilometres Lac Ste Anne Lake later maps McMicking McMicking's Métis miles Milton and Cheadle miners Niagara night North Thompson North Thompson River North-West Passage o'clock Overlanders oxen PABC Palliser Papers Passage by Land passed prairie present editor Qu'Appelle Queenston Quesnel raft reached Red River Robert McMicking route Schubert settlement side Spry stream Tête Jaune Cache text note Thomas McMicking Thompson River TM's Toronto trail travelled Vancouver Victoria Wade Westminster William Yellowhead