June 11, 1793. One Beautiful Hummingbird.

June 11, 1793. 

227 Years Ago To-day.

      “At four we continued our voyage...A river appeared on the left, at the foot of a mountain which, from its conical form, my young Indian called the Beaver Lodge Mountain. Having proceeded SSE half a mile, another river appeared from the right...”

     He has engaged the services of a native guide to help him find the other river; whom he refers to here as his “young Indian”.  The conical shaped mountain is where the Missinka River meets the Parsnip River, appearing on his left as he is going SSE. 

Picture 1. 

Top of Google image is North. The “conical mountain” can be seen in the top left. 


 

“We now came in line with the beginning of the mountains we saw yesterday: others of the same kind ran parallel with them…”

        The Missinka River joins the Parsnip at the foot of the “Beaver Lodge Mountain”. A little ways further, and the Wichcika River flows in from his right. They travelled down this valley of parallel mountains, then followed the river as it turns East (to their left). The river course is easily seen in Picture 1,  as it heads up into the mountains, on the RH side of this Google Earth image.

     “Here we quitted the main branch, (of The Parsnip) which according to the information of our guide, terminates at a short distance...supplied by the snow which covers the mountains...The water, however, was so high, that the country was entirely overflowed, and we passed the canoe among the branches of trees…”

As can be seen in Picture 1 they have travelled through a large low lying valley that can easily be imagined as a large swamp or shallow lake in times of high water; a perfect stopping place for  swans, geese, ducks and any migrating birds.

      “We advanced about a mile in the lake, and took up our station for the night at an old Indian encampment. Here we expected to meet with natives; but were disappointed...(during this day) we saw beaver...there were also swans in great numbers, with geese and ducks...we  observed also the tracks of moose-deer...parsnips grew here in abundance, which have already been mentioned as a grateful vegetable. Of birds, we saw blue jays, yellow birds, and one beautiful hummingbird; of the first and last, I had not seen any since I had been in the North-West.”