May 13, 1793. The Grisly Bear.

May 13, 1793. Alexander MacKenzie’s Journey Of Discovery (Day 5)

     -Although it seems like they are not making many miles in a day, remember that they are paddling or poling the heavily laden canoe upstream, against a strong current, and in water that he notes has been rising by 2 inches each day, since departure. He admits that even high winds sometimes impede his progress. 

“The weather was cloudy, with an appearance of rain...but my object was to lose no time...we embarked at four...proceeded on our course...here I took a meridian altitude, which gave 56.17.44 North latitude.”

Comparing his latitude reckoning to Google Earth he is almost exact on this. 

“The last course continued...here the land lowered on both sides, with an increase of wood, and displayed great numbers of animals. The river...was full of islands and flats.”

      This area is present day Many Islands Provincial Park. 

      

      “We perceived along the river, tracks of large bears, some of which were nine inches wide...the Indians entertain great apprehension of this kind of bear, which is called the grisly bear, and they never venture to attack it but in  party of at least three or four.”

Grizzly bears have always been dangerous.

     “...having continued our course three miles, we made for the shore at seven, to pass the night.” 

     This camp would have been somewhere just North of present day Silver Valley, Alberta, probably on the North shore of the river.