June 1st, 1793. Beaver-Work

Day 24. Excerpts from: Alexander MacKenzie's Journals of his Voyage Of Discovery to The Pacific Ocean.

     “On the 1st of June we embarked at sunrise, and towards noon the current began to slacken; we then put to shore, in order to gum the canoe, when a meridian altitude gave me 55.42.16. North latitude...In the morning we passed a large rapid river that flowed in from the right.”

Manson River. The area he is traveling is still under the waters of Williston Lake, in our time. If his reckoning of latitude is correct, he is about 20 river miles SE of Finlay Forks.

    “At sunset we encamped on a point, being the first dry land which had been found on this side (of) the river, that was fit for our purpose...Though I did not believe that...any of the natives could be in possession of fire-arms, I thought it right, at all events we should be prepared...each of us took his station at the foot of a tree, where we passed an uneasy and restless night.”

      One of his men had thought he heard the discharge of fire-arms, somewhere above them. Although MacKenzie doesn’t really believe it, he had the camp fire extinguished for the night and made sure that their fowling-pieces were primed and loaded.

“In no part of the North-West did I see so much beaver-work, within an equal distance, as in the course of this day. In some places they had cut down acres of large poplars; and we also saw a great number of these active and sagacious animals. The time which these wonderful creatures allot for their labours...is the whole of the interval between the rising and setting sun.”