Albert Faille (1887 – December 31, 1973) was an early pioneer, explorer,

trapper Animal trapping, or simply trapping or gin, is the use of a device to remotely catch an animal. Animals may be trapped for a variety of purposes, including food, the fur trade, hunting, pest control, and wildlife management. History Neolithic ...

and

prospector Prospector may refer to: Space exploration * Prospector (spacecraft), a planned lunar probe, canceled in 1962 * ''Lunar Prospector'', a NASA spacecraft Trains * Prospector (train), a passenger train operated by the Denver & Rio Grande Western ra ...

of the Canadian North. He was born in

Duluth, Minnesota , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

, in 1887. Faille spent his early years working in

lumber camp A logging camp (or lumber camp) is a transitory work site used in the logging industry. Before the second half of the 20th century, these camps were the primary place where lumberjacks would live and work to fell trees in a particular area. Many ...

s, guiding tourists on canoe trips in the lake district about Duluth, and trapping fur-bearing animals in the winter months. After serving in the armed forces in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he immigrated to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

in 1927, coming directly to the

South Nahanni River The South Nahanni River is a major tributary of the Liard River, located roughly west of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories of Canada. It is the centerpiece of Nahanni National Park Reserve. It flows from the Mackenzie Mountains in the wes ...

via the Mackenzie River and Fort Simpson. It was there that he encountered the young

Raymond M. Patterson Raymond Murray Patterson (1898 - 1984) was an Oxford educated writer and explorer of the Canadian northwest. Life and career "R.M. Patterson is recognized by many as one of the finest writers on the Canadian wilderness. While his writing skills ea ...

who brought him attention in his book ''The Dangerous River'' and attracted three documentaries. Though these focused on his search for

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

, Faille was known as a friendly knowledgeable guide of the South Nahanni region. Faille died at his home in Fort Simpson.

1962 documentary

Faille was the subject of a 1962 short documentary, '' Nahanni'', by the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

. Directed by Donald Wilder, ''Nahanni'' follows the elderly Faille up the South Nahanni River, in search of a legendary

gold mine Gold Mine may refer to: *Gold Mine (board game) *Gold Mine (Long Beach), an arena *"Gold Mine", a song by Joyner Lucas from the 2020 album '' ADHD'' See also * ''Gold'' (1974 film), based on the novel ''Gold Mine'' by Wilbur Smith *Gold mining ...

Above the Falls

Faille is one of many real-life characters portrayed in the "creative non-fiction" novel
Above the Falls
' by Canadian autho
John Harris
(b. 1942), published by TouchWood Editions in 2007.

References

* Farrow, Moira. 1975. Nobody Here But Us: Pioneers of the North. Vancouver: J.J. Douglas Ltd. * Harris, John. 2007. Above the Falls. British Columbia: TouchWood Editions. . * Patterson, Raymond M. 1954. The Dangerous River. New York: William Sloane Associates Inc. * Turner, Dick. 1975. Nahanni. Saanichton, British Columbia: Hancock House.

External links

Watch ''Nahanni'' at NFB.ca
a website dedicated to Faille 1887 births 1973 deaths Date of birth missing Place of death missing Canadian explorers People from Duluth, Minnesota People from the Northwest Territories Canadian gold prospectors American emigrants to Canada Settlers of Canada {{Canada-bio-stub