Bedaux half-trucks in Peace River Country

The Bedaux expedition of 1934, also named the Bedaux Canadian Subarctic Expedition, was an attempt by eccentric French

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, Charles Eugène Bedaux, to cross the wilderness of the northern parts of

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

and northern

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

in Canada, while making a film, testing Citroën

half-track A half-track is a civilian or military vehicle with regular wheels at the front for steering and continuous tracks at the back to propel the vehicle and carry most of the load. The purpose of this combination is to produce a vehicle with the cro ...

vehicles and generating publicity for himself. Bedaux set off on this unusual excursion accompanied by more than a hundred people, including his wife, his

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(an

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), and an

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-winning film director from Hollywood,

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, who would later be praised for his work on '' High Noon''. Also along for the trip were several dozen Alberta cowboys and a large film crew. To map the route of the expedition, the Canadian government sent along two geographers,

Frank Swannell Frank Cyril Swannell (May 16, 1880 in Hamilton, Ontario - 1969 in Victoria) was one of British Columbia's most famous surveyors. He came to British Columbia during the era of the Klondike Gold Rush and became a surveyor's assistant. Then, from ...

and Ernest Lemarque. The expedition started off at

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anch ...

on July 6, 1934 and their goal was to travel to

Telegraph Creek, British Columbia Telegraph Creek is a small community located off Highway 37 in northern British Columbia at the confluence of the Stikine River and Telegraph Creek. The only permanent settlement on the Stikine River, it is home to approximately 250 members of Ta ...

. Much of the trip would have to be made through regions that were relatively uncharted and had no trails.

The route

The

n leg of their journey began at Edmonton, moved to

Athabasca Athabasca (also Athabaska) is an anglicized version of the Cree name for Lake Athabasca in Canada, āthap-āsk-ā-w (pronounced ), meaning "grass or reeds here and there". Most places named Athabasca are found in Alberta, Canada. Athabasca may a ...

Grande Prairie Grande Prairie is a city in northwest Alberta, Canada within the southern portion of an area known as Peace River Country. It is located at the intersection of Highway 43 (part of the CANAMEX Corridor) and Highway 40 (the Bighorn Highway), a ...

and then into British Columbia to

Dawson Creek Dawson Creek is a city in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. The municipality of had a population of 12,978 in 2016. Dawson Creek derives its name from the creek of the same name that runs through the community. The creek was named after ...

, and Fort St. John. From there the expedition headed north to Montney and then northwest to

Halfway River The Halfway River is a tributary of the Peace River in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. The river originates in the Muskwa Ranges at an elevation of . It flows from Robb Lake, between Mount Kenny and Mount Robb, then flows east to Pink Moun ...

on to Whitewater Post over the

Northern Rocky Mountains The Northern Rocky Mountains, usually referred to as the Northern Rockies, are a subdivision of the Canadian Rockies comprising the northern half of the Canadian segment of the Rocky Mountains. While their northward limit is easily defined as the ...

. From there, Bedaux had planned for the expedition to cross over the Sifton Pass, to

Dease Lake Dease Lake is a small community located in the Cassiar Country of the Northern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. It is located a few hours south of the Yukon border on Stewart–Cassiar Highway (Highway 37) at the south end of the lake o ...

and the

Stikine River The Stikine River is a major river in northern British Columbia (BC), Canada and southeastern Alaska in the United States. It drains a large, remote upland area known as the Stikine Country east of the Coast Mountains. Flowing west and south f ...

to Telegraph Creek, and ultimately the

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. However, this final leg of the trip was never completed.Bob Dyke

Training camp in Jasper

In June 1934, Bedaux assembled the members of the expedition in

Jasper, Alberta Jasper is a specialized municipality and townsite in western Alberta within the Canadian Rockies. The townsite is in the Athabasca River valley and is the commercial centre of Jasper National Park. History Established in 1813, Jasper Hou ...

, for compulsory fitness training. Bedaux reported to the press that such training was necessary for what was sure to be a long and difficult trip, involving

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

rafting Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...

and

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. However, no training sessions were accomplished as the members of the expedition were kept too busy attending

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parties and formal dinners that were being held in their honor.

The Citroëns

Bedaux was acquainted with car manufacturer, Andre Citroën, who designed the Citroën-Kégresse equipped

trucks that were used on the expedition. Of the five Citroëns that the party used, two slid off of cliffs and a third was used in a shot where it was put on a raft where it was supposed to meet a stick of

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and explode. However, the shot was ruined when the dynamite failed to explode and the truck floated down river and was stuck in a sandbar. The last two Citroëns were abandoned near Halfway River. When the

Alaska Highway ">BCGNIS Geographical Name Details
/ref> Mount Bedaux.

Notes

External links

Phipps-Mackenzie Collection at Northern BC Archives

The route

Training camp in Jasper

The Citroëns

Notes

External links

Further reading