Dalles des Morts
Encyclopedia
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.
voyageurs lost their canoes and food during a traverse of the rapids and were forced to attempt the overland journey to Spokane House
, with only one survivor being rescued by local native people after a harrowing survival ordeal, and a confession of cannibalistic survival:
of the Hudson's Bay Company
, an annual shipment of goods, books, personnel and mail between York Factory and Fort Vancouver, a tradition that had continued an earlier annual journey by North West Company
staff from Fort George
to Fort William
on Lake Superior. The westbound journey was known as the Autumn Express because of the time of year of its schedule, and also as the Columbia Express due to its destination (referring as much to the Columbia Department as to the Columbia River
). The 1838 Express had had a difficult journey from Fort Edmonton
, and the party contained an unruly upper-crust greenhorn who had eloped with one of the daughters of HBC Governor Simpson, who during an ill-advised transit of the rapids panicked and jumped from the canoe with his wife in his arms, upsetting the canoe in the process and resulting the death of all but one who had been aboard, including himself and his wife but sparing Matooskie, a native woman in the party who had lost her child in the journey via Athabasca Pass
. She made her way to Fort of the Lakes, at the head of Upper Arrow, and was taken to Fort Colville
with her story.
from 1865 on, the Dalles des Morts marked the head of steamboat navigation on a route that stretched from Marcus, Washington Terr.
via the Arrow Lakes and their Narrows to the port-boomtown of La Porte, which lay at the foot of the rapids, and also at the foot of the portage to the goldfields on the creeks flanking the Goldstream River
, which joined the Columbia only a few miles above the rapids, around which a portage from La Porte became necessary. (the other main goldfields of the rush were along Downie Creek, which joined the Columbia just below La Porte, where another town, Downie Creek survived as a settled locality until the inundation; La Porte did not) The first run by the steamer Forty-Nine was in 1865 but made it only as far as the Narrows due to heavy ice, but the next year the steamer braved the rapids of the Narrows and in 1866 began regular service from Marcus to La Porte for the duration of the gold rush
. The other main route to the rush was via Pettipiece Pass from Seymour Arm
on Shuswap Lake
, another port town which sprang up at the end of the steamboat route from Savona's Ferry
at the farther end of Kamloops Lake
and accessed by a newly-built but easy road from Cache Creek
via the Semlin Valley to Savona's Ferry, today's town of Savona. From Kamloops Lake the route ran via the South Thompson River, Little Shuswap Lake
, and the Little River. Still others came to the goldfields on the longer route around the Big Bend from the East Kootenay and the Wild Horse Creek Gold Rush and Montana
.
as used by the voyageurs in the Pacific Northwest
, adapted from the usual meaning of dalle as a flagstone, or in other contexts as a gutter on a ship's deck or bridge for the purpose of draining excess water . The context of "river rapids" does not turn up in French dictionaries, but appears to be a local variation on the usual meanings, a pun on the stair-case like stones underneath some rapids and also on the rapidly draining narrow chutes that typify a "Dalles". In the case of Dalles des Morts, the pun carries the extra weight of "gravestone", as that is the usual meaning of the phrase in French.
The more famous "Dalles" in the Pacific Northwest is the namesake of The Dalles, Oregon
, which was the site of the Grand Dalles de la Columbia and also the Petites Dalles or Little Dalles before the inundation of that portion of the Columbia.
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...
upstream from 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...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, now submerged beneath the waters of the Lake Revelstoke Reservoir.
1817
The rapids acquired their name after a dark series of events in 1817, when a crew of North West CompanyNorth West Company
The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what was to become Western Canada...
voyageurs lost their canoes and food during a traverse of the rapids and were forced to attempt the overland journey to Spokane House
Spokane House
Spokane House was a fur trading post founded in 1810 by the British-Canadian North West Company under direction of David Thompson. The post was sited on a peninsula where the Spokane River and Little Spokane River meet. Today this site is in Spokane County in the U.S...
, with only one survivor being rescued by local native people after a harrowing survival ordeal, and a confession of cannibalistic survival:
Dalles des Morts [mis-spelled "Dalle de Mort" on Trutch's 1871 map of British Columbia.] The French form originated with NWC voyageurs in 1817, when seven men were wrecked here and all their food was lost. They began walking along the river hoping to reach Spokane House, the nearest establishment, over 300 miles (482.8 km) away. High water forced them up into the almost impenetrable forest. One by one they died, the survivors resorting to cannibalism. The last one was found by Indians on the shore of Upper Arrow lake and was taken to Kettle Falls, whence he was conducted to Spokane House. His story that he had killed his last companion in self defence was not believed, and he was dismissed from the NWC service, escaping more serious punishment owing to lack of evidence against him.
(from Douglas of the Fir: A Biography of David Douglas, Botanist, by A.G. Harvey; Harvard University Press, 1947, p.110)
Source: Provincial Archives of BC "Place Names File" compiled 1945-1950 by A.G. Harvey from various sources, with subsequent additions
"In 1817 a party of seven Nor'westers was sent back to Spokane House [from Boat EncampmentBoat EncampmentBoat 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...
] because they were too ill to traverse the Rocky Mountains with the rest of the party. Their canoes and provisions were lost at the rapids here. Without supplies, they proceeded on foot very slowly, as they were weak and had only water for sustenance (there being no berries at this time of year). On the third day, the first man died and his remains were eventually eaten by the survivors. This continued until only two men were left, La Pierre and Dubois. Only La Pierre was found alive and he maintained that Dubois had attempted to kill him, but he had succeeded in overpowering and killing him in self defence. La Pierre's story was doubted, but he couldn't be convicted on the evidence." (from Adventures on the Columbia River by Ross Cox; London, 1831; vol 2, p.184-84) See also The Kootenays in Retrospect, vol 1: Columbia River Chronicles, Edward Affleck, editor, 1976.
1838
In 1838, another even greater tragedy befell the annual York Factory ExpressYork 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...
of the Hudson's Bay Company
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...
, an annual shipment of goods, books, personnel and mail between York Factory and Fort Vancouver, a tradition that had continued an earlier annual journey by North West Company
North West Company
The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what was to become Western Canada...
staff from Fort George
Fort Astoria
Fort Astoria was the Pacific Fur Company's primary fur trading post in the Northwest, and was the first American-owned settlement on the Pacific coast. After a short two-year term of US ownership, the British owned and operated it for 33 years. It was the first British port on the Pacific coast...
to Fort William
Fort William, Ontario
Fort William was a city in Northern Ontario, located on the Kaministiquia River, at its entrance to Lake Superior. It amalgamated with Port Arthur and the townships of Neebing and McIntyre to form the city of Thunder Bay in January 1970. Ever since then it has been the largest city in Northwestern...
on Lake Superior. The westbound journey was known as the Autumn Express because of the time of year of its schedule, and also as the Columbia Express due to its destination (referring as much to the Columbia Department as 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...
). The 1838 Express had had a difficult journey from Fort Edmonton
Fort Edmonton
Fort Edmonton was the name of a series of trading posts of the Hudson's Bay Company from 1795 to 1891, all of which were located in central Alberta, Canada...
, and the party contained an unruly upper-crust greenhorn who had eloped with one of the daughters of HBC Governor Simpson, who during an ill-advised transit of the rapids panicked and jumped from the canoe with his wife in his arms, upsetting the canoe in the process and resulting the death of all but one who had been aboard, including himself and his wife but sparing Matooskie, a native woman in the party who had lost her child in the journey via 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...
. She made her way to Fort of the Lakes, at the head of Upper Arrow, and was taken to Fort Colville
Fort Colville
The trade center Fort Colville was built by the Hudson's Bay Company at Kettle Falls on the Columbia River, a few miles west of the present site of Colville, Washington in 1825, to replace Spokane House as a regional trading center, as the latter was deemed to be too far from the Columbia River...
with her story.
1860s
During the Big Bend Gold RushBig Bend Gold Rush
The Big Bend Gold Rush was a gold rush on the upper Columbia River in the Colony of British Columbia in the mid-1860s....
from 1865 on, the Dalles des Morts marked the head of steamboat navigation on a route that stretched from Marcus, Washington Terr.
Marcus, Washington
Marcus is a town in Stevens County, Washington, United States. The population was 117 at the 2000 census and 183 at the 2010 census, a 56.4% increase over the 2000 census.-History:Marcus was named for Marcus Oppenheimer who settled in the area in 1863....
via the Arrow Lakes and their Narrows to the port-boomtown of La Porte, which lay at the foot of the rapids, and also at the foot of the portage to the goldfields on the creeks flanking the Goldstream River
Goldstream River
The Goldstream River is a tributary of the Columbia River, joining that stream via the Lake Revelstoke reservoir after running largely west from the heart of the northern Selkirk Mountains. The river's name derives from the Big Bend Gold Rush of 1865, during which it was the scene of busy...
, which joined the Columbia only a few miles above the rapids, around which a portage from La Porte became necessary. (the other main goldfields of the rush were along Downie Creek, which joined the Columbia just below La Porte, where another town, Downie Creek survived as a settled locality until the inundation; La Porte did not) The first run by the steamer Forty-Nine was in 1865 but made it only as far as the Narrows due to heavy ice, but the next year the steamer braved the rapids of the Narrows and in 1866 began regular service from Marcus to La Porte for the duration of the gold rush
Gold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
. The other main route to the rush was via Pettipiece Pass from Seymour Arm
Seymour Arm, British Columbia
Seymour Arm, known historically also as Ogdensville or Ogden City and Seymour, is an unincorporated area and former town located at the head of the inlet of the same name on Shuswap Lake in British Columbia, Canada...
on Shuswap Lake
Shuswap Lake
Shuswap Lake is a lake located in south-central British Columbia, Canada that drains via the Little River into Little Shuswap Lake. Little Shuswap Lake is the source of the South Thompson River, a branch of the Thompson River, a tributary of the Fraser River...
, another port town which sprang up at the end of the steamboat route from Savona's Ferry
Savona, British Columbia
Savona is a small community located at the west end of Kamloops Lake, where the Thompson River exits it. It is approximately halfway between Kamloops and Cache Creek along the Trans-Canada Highway...
at the farther end of Kamloops Lake
Kamloops Lake
Kamloops Lake in British Columbia, Canada is situated on the Thompson River just west of Kamloops. The lake is 1.6 km wide, 29 km long, and up to 152 m deep...
and accessed by a newly-built but easy road from Cache Creek
Cache Creek, British Columbia
Cache Creek is a junction community northeast of Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada. It is on the Trans-Canada Highway in the province of British Columbia at its junction with northbound Highway 97...
via the Semlin Valley to Savona's Ferry, today's town of Savona. From Kamloops Lake the route ran via the South Thompson River, Little Shuswap Lake
Little Shuswap Lake
Little Shuswap Lake is a small lake in the Thompson River basin of the southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, which sits at the transition between the Thompson Country to the west and the Shuswap Country to the east...
, and the Little River. Still others came to the goldfields on the longer route around the Big Bend from the East Kootenay and the Wild Horse Creek Gold Rush and Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
.
Name
The name was formally registered in English as Death Rapids on December 12, 1939, but rescinded on April 3, 1986, upon the inundation of the site by the reservoir. Joseph Trutch's 1870s map uses the mistaken "Dalle des Morts". A dalles is a term from FrenchFrench language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
as used by the voyageurs in the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
, adapted from the usual meaning of dalle as a flagstone, or in other contexts as a gutter on a ship's deck or bridge for the purpose of draining excess water . The context of "river rapids" does not turn up in French dictionaries, but appears to be a local variation on the usual meanings, a pun on the stair-case like stones underneath some rapids and also on the rapidly draining narrow chutes that typify a "Dalles". In the case of Dalles des Morts, the pun carries the extra weight of "gravestone", as that is the usual meaning of the phrase in French.
The more famous "Dalles" in the Pacific Northwest is the namesake of The Dalles, Oregon
The Dalles, Oregon
The Dalles is the largest city and county seat of Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The name of the city comes from the French word dalle The Dalles is the largest city and county seat of Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The name of the city comes from the French word dalle The Dalles is...
, which was the site of the Grand Dalles de la Columbia and also the Petites Dalles or Little Dalles before the inundation of that portion of the Columbia.
External links
- "Tragedy at Death Rapids" by Walter Volovsek, Trails in Time website
- "Death Rapids: Origin notes and history", BC Geographical Name Information Service
- Genealogical history account (search "Matooskie" on page)
- Hauling up a rapid (les Dalles Des Morts) on the Columbia River. Drawing by Sir Henry James Warre, 1846, BC Archives
