Boat Encampment
Encyclopedia
Boat Encampment was a rendezvous and staging-point for the Hudson's Bay Company
in the early 19th century and later a locality by that name in the Canadian province of British Columbia
. It was located at the "top" of the Big Bend of the Columbia
north of the city of Revelstoke, British Columbia
and southeast of Valemount
. Its site today is beneath the waters of Kinbasket Lake Reservoir, formed by the Mica Dam
of the Columbia River Treaty
.
exploration of the Athabasca Pass
route to the Columbia River
. During the winter of 1810-1811. Thompson and a small party of voyageurs crossed the Continental Divide
at Athabasca Pass
in early January, 1811 and soon reached the Columbia River. After a brief attempt to travel south to Kootanae House
they returned to the mouth of the Canoe River
to wait out the winter. Unable to build a canoe
out of birch bark Thompson and his men spent five weeks constructing a wooden clinker-built
boat. This was a task they were not skilled in and it took a great deal of trial-and-error. Thompson named the site Boat Encampment after this experience in boat-building.
Boat Encampment was an important waystation during the twice-annual HBC "Express"
overland trade route between Fort Vancouver
and York Factory on Hudson Bay
then via ship to London
. As a setting it figures in the tragic story of the Dalles des Morts
.
It remained on British Columbia roadmaps and town registries until its inundation.
The site was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1943. The historic marker was moved to a nearby point when the area was flooded in 1973.
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
in the early 19th century and later a locality by that name in the Canadian province of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. It was located at the "top" of the Big Bend of the Columbia
Big Bend Country
Big Bend Country is a term used in the Canadian province of British Columbia to refer to the region around the northernmost bend of the Columbia River, where the river leaves its initial northwestward course along the Rocky Mountain Trench to curve around the northern end of the Selkirk Mountains...
north of the city of Revelstoke, British Columbia
Revelstoke, British Columbia
Revelstoke is a city in southeastern British Columbia, Canada. It is located east of Vancouver, and west of Calgary, Alberta. The city is situated on the banks of the Columbia River just south of the Revelstoke Dam and near its confluence with the Illecillewaet River...
and southeast of Valemount
Valemount, British Columbia
Valemount is a village of 1,018 people in east central British Columbia, Canada. It is situated between the Rocky, Monashee, and Cariboo Mountains. It is the nearest community to the west of Jasper National Park, and is also the nearest community to Mount Robson Provincial Park, which features...
. Its site today is beneath the waters of Kinbasket Lake Reservoir, formed by the Mica Dam
Mica Dam
The Mica Dam is a hydroelectric dam spanning the Columbia River 135 kilometres north of Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada. Completed in 1973 under the terms of the 1964 Columbia River Treaty, the Mica powerhouse has a generating capacity of . The dam is operated by BC Hydro...
of the Columbia River Treaty
Columbia River Treaty
The Columbia River Treaty is an agreement between Canada and the United States of America on the development and operation of dams in the upper Columbia River basin for power and flood control benefits in both countries. For more information about the Columbia River Treaty, visit Columbia Basin...
.
History
The origin and name of Boat Encampment dates to David Thompson'sDavid Thompson (explorer)
David Thompson was an English-Canadian fur trader, surveyor, and map-maker, known to some native peoples as "Koo-Koo-Sint" or "the Stargazer"...
exploration of the Athabasca Pass
Athabasca Pass
Athabasca Pass is a high mountain pass in the Canadian Rockies. It is the headwaters of the Whirlpool River, a tributary of the Athabasca River.The pass lies between Mount Brown and McGillivray Ridge...
route to the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
. During the winter of 1810-1811. Thompson and a small party of voyageurs crossed the Continental Divide
Continental Divide
The Continental Divide of the Americas, or merely the Continental Gulf of Division or Great Divide, is the name given to the principal, and largely mountainous, hydrological divide of the Americas that separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean from those river systems that drain...
at Athabasca Pass
Athabasca Pass
Athabasca Pass is a high mountain pass in the Canadian Rockies. It is the headwaters of the Whirlpool River, a tributary of the Athabasca River.The pass lies between Mount Brown and McGillivray Ridge...
in early January, 1811 and soon reached the Columbia River. After a brief attempt to travel south to Kootanae House
Kootanae House
Kootanae House, also spelled Kootenae House, was a North West Company fur trading post built by Jaco Finlay under the direction of David Thompson near present-day Invermere, British Columbia in 1807. It was abandoned in 1812. In 1808 Thompson reckoned its location as...
they returned to the mouth of the Canoe River
Canoe River
The Canoe River is a river in southeastern Massachusetts. It is long and part of the Taunton River watershed.The Canoe River arises from headwaters near Lake Massapoag in Sharon, and meanders generally southwards through the towns of Sharon, Foxborough, Mansfield, and Easton to empty into...
to wait out the winter. Unable to build a canoe
Canoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
out of birch bark Thompson and his men spent five weeks constructing a wooden clinker-built
Clinker (boat building)
Clinker building is a method of constructing hulls of boats and ships by fixing wooden planks and, in the early nineteenth century, iron plates to each other so that the planks overlap along their edges. The overlapping joint is called a land. In any but a very small boat, the individual planks...
boat. This was a task they were not skilled in and it took a great deal of trial-and-error. Thompson named the site Boat Encampment after this experience in boat-building.
Boat Encampment was an important waystation during the twice-annual HBC "Express"
York Factory Express
The York Factory Express, usually called "the Express" and also called the Columbia Express and the Communication, was a brigade operated by Hudson's Bay Company in the early 19th century connecting York Factory and Fort Vancouver. It was named "express" because it was not used only to transport...
overland trade route between Fort Vancouver
Fort Vancouver
Fort Vancouver was a 19th century fur trading outpost along the Columbia River that served as the headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company in the company's Columbia District...
and York Factory on Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay , sometimes called Hudson's Bay, is a large body of saltwater in northeastern Canada. It drains a very large area, about , that includes parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, southeastern Nunavut, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota,...
then via ship to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. As a setting it figures in the tragic story of the Dalles des Morts
Dalles des Morts
Dalles des Morts, also known as Death Rapids in English, was a famously violent stretch of the Columbia River upstream from Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada, now submerged beneath the waters of the Lake Revelstoke Reservoir.-1817:...
.
It remained on British Columbia roadmaps and town registries until its inundation.
The site was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1943. The historic marker was moved to a nearby point when the area was flooded in 1973.