Jaco Finlay
Encyclopedia
Jacques Raphaël Finlay commonly known as Jaco or Jacco (pr. Jocko), was an early Canadian
fur trader, scout, and explorer associated with the North West Company
. He built Spokane House
and Kootanae House
, two key fur-trading posts of the era, and helped David Thompson
cross the Continental Divide
and discover the Columbia River
.
Finlay was born in 1768 on the south bank of the Saskatchewan River
. His mother came from the Chippewa tribe of Native Americans
, but never married his father, James Finlay, a North West Company trader who had a family in Montreal
.
Finlay was recorded as a clerk of the North West Company as early as 1799; this was the highest office accorded to "half-breed
s" in that era. Finlay was compensated, however, as much as David Thompson
, the English-born explorer, probably reflecting his reputation as a scout.
Thompson accordingly engaged Finlay in 1806 to blaze a trail
through the Rocky Mountains
across the Continental Divide
; Thompson followed in 1807, though he was markedly unhappy with the quality of the trail, which led at least as far as Howse Pass
. Finlay also played a key advance role in Thompson's discovery (from the East) of the Columbia River
, scouting, storing provisions, and building canoes.
After Thompson returned east, Finlay found work with the Pacific Fur Company
(a surviving receipt shows him to have been literate). He later returned to the employ of the North West Company when the latter purchased the assets of the former during the War of 1812
, and remained an employee until 1816, along with three of his sons. He later took over a defunct Hudson's Bay Company
post, where botanist David Douglas
recorded a visit in 1826, as well as a recipe for bread made from local lichen
s.
He died in 1828, and was buried on the grounds of Spokane House. According to Nathaniel Jarvis Wyeth
, who passed by the abandoned site in 1833, all the buildings had been burned for firewood but one, which was maintained out of respect for a dead clerk buried beneath it. In 1950, a construction crew discovered what became the archaeological site, and Finlay's body was found with items including a clay pipe marked "JF".
His descendants can be found throughout the Northwest, especially on the Flathead, Colville, Spokane, Kalispel, Coeur D'Alene, and Umpqua Indian Reservations.
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...
fur trader, scout, and explorer associated with the 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...
. He built 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...
and 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...
, two key fur-trading posts of the era, and helped David Thompson
David 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"...
cross 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...
and discover 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...
.
Finlay was born in 1768 on the south bank of the Saskatchewan River
Saskatchewan River
The Saskatchewan River is a major river in Canada, approximately long, flowing roughly eastward across Saskatchewan and Manitoba to empty into Lake Winnipeg...
. His mother came from the Chippewa tribe of Native Americans
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
, but never married his father, James Finlay, a North West Company trader who had a family in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
.
Finlay was recorded as a clerk of the North West Company as early as 1799; this was the highest office accorded to "half-breed
Half-breed
Half-breed is an historic term used to describe anyone who is mixed Native American and white European parentage...
s" in that era. Finlay was compensated, however, as much as David Thompson
David 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"...
, the English-born explorer, probably reflecting his reputation as a scout.
Thompson accordingly engaged Finlay in 1806 to blaze a trail
Trail blazing
Trail blazing, or trailblazing, is the practice of marking paths in outdoor recreational areas with blazes, markings that follow each other at certain — though not necessarily exactly defined — distances and mark the direction of the trail...
through the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
across 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...
; Thompson followed in 1807, though he was markedly unhappy with the quality of the trail, which led at least as far as Howse Pass
Howse Pass
Howse Pass is a pass through the Rocky Mountains. The pass was used by First Nations people such as the Kootenay and Piegan. European explorers first discovered the pass in 1806, and David Thompson explored it in 1807...
. Finlay also played a key advance role in Thompson's discovery (from the East) of 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...
, scouting, storing provisions, and building canoes.
After Thompson returned east, Finlay found work with the Pacific Fur Company
Pacific Fur Company
The Pacific Fur Company was founded June 23, 1810, in New York City. Half of the stock of the company was held by the American Fur Company, owned exclusively by John Jacob Astor, and Astor provided all of the capital for the enterprise. The other half of the stock was ascribed to working partners...
(a surviving receipt shows him to have been literate). He later returned to the employ of the North West Company when the latter purchased the assets of the former during the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, and remained an employee until 1816, along with three of his sons. He later took over a defunct 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...
post, where botanist David Douglas
David Douglas
David Douglas was a Scottish botanist. He worked as a gardener, and explored the Scottish Highlands, North America, and Hawaii, where he died.-Early life:...
recorded a visit in 1826, as well as a recipe for bread made from local lichen
Lichen
Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner , usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium...
s.
He died in 1828, and was buried on the grounds of Spokane House. According to Nathaniel Jarvis Wyeth
Nathaniel Jarvis Wyeth
Nathaniel Jarvis Wyeth was an American inventor, ice harvester, and explorer and trader in the far west.-Early life:Wyeth was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Jacob and Elizabeth Wyeth...
, who passed by the abandoned site in 1833, all the buildings had been burned for firewood but one, which was maintained out of respect for a dead clerk buried beneath it. In 1950, a construction crew discovered what became the archaeological site, and Finlay's body was found with items including a clay pipe marked "JF".
His descendants can be found throughout the Northwest, especially on the Flathead, Colville, Spokane, Kalispel, Coeur D'Alene, and Umpqua Indian Reservations.