South Branch House (1785-1794, 1805-1870) was the only significant fur trading post on the

South Saskatchewan River The South Saskatchewan River is a major river in Canada that flows through the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. For the first half of the 20th century, the South Saskatchewan would completely freeze over during winter, creating spectacular ...

. Most trade was on the

North Saskatchewan River The North Saskatchewan River is a glacier-fed river that flows from the Canadian Rockies continental divide east to central Saskatchewan, where it joins with the South Saskatchewan River to make up the Saskatchewan River. Its water flows event ...

which was closer to the wooded beaver country. West of the

Saskatchewan River Forks Saskatchewan River Forks refers to the area in Canada where the North Saskatchewan and South Saskatchewan rivers merge to create the Saskatchewan River. It is about east of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. The province of Saskatchewan maintains the ...

the two rivers run parallel to the northeast for about 100 miles. Between them there is a fair amount of forest. Shortly before 1785 Peter Pangman, an independent trader, built a place he called Fort des Isles and William Holmes of the

North West Company The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what is present-day Western Canada and Northwestern Ontario. With great weal ...

built a post nearby. In 1785

William Tomison William Tomison was a Scottish fur trader who helped found and build a number of trading posts for the Hudson Bay Company such as the Edmonton House. He was involved in the fur trade for over thirty years, during which time he served in York Fact ...

of the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business di ...

sent Mitchell Oman to build South Branch House at a ford later called Gardepuy's crossing. The two rival traders abandoned their posts and built new ones on the opposite side of the river 400 yards downstream. The explorer David Thompson was one of Oman's clerks here in 1786/87. In July 1794, following their destruction of Manchester House the year before, one or two hundred Gros Ventres attacked the HBC post. Only two company men were in the fort along with a handful of Indians. Two company officers, Magnus Annal and Hugh Brough, who were outside the fort were quickly killed. The two men inside barred the gate and hid in a cellar. The Gros Ventres broke in and butchered everyone inside including women and children, except for J. C. Van Dreil who managed to escape in a canoe after hiding in an abandoned cellar for eight hours. They next turned to the NWC post across the river.

Duncan McGillivray Duncan McGillivray (April 9, 1808), born in Inverness-shire, Scotland, was an explorer and fur trader in the Western Canada. In the mid 1790s, he served as the North West Company's clerk at Fort George in what is now Alberta, and he later acco ...

's journal implies that the NWC people were unaware of what was happening at the HBC fort. An interpreter named Jacques Raphael "Jacco" Finlay was out riding and saw the Gros Ventres coming. He raced to the fort and got the men under arms. The first discharge from the fort drove the Indians back. They retired to cover and fired on the fort until they began to run low on ammunition. Their chief, L'Homme de Callumet, tried to lead a charge but was immediately shot by Finlay. The Gros Ventres recovered the chief's body and withdrew. Seeing the impossibility of defense or further trade, Louis Chatelain, the master, loaded all his men and goods on canoes and abandoned the fort. In 1805 both companies rebuilt their posts about 6 miles upstream. With the merger in 1821 the HBC took over and operated the post until 1870. The site is about 20 miles east of

Fort Carlton Fort Carlton was a Hudson's Bay Company fur trading post from 1795 until 1885. It was located along the North Saskatchewan River not far from Duck Lake. It is in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan and was rebuilt by the government of Sas ...

on the North Saskatchewan River, about 10 miles west of Saint Louis, Saskatchewan and about 10 miles north of

Batoche, Saskatchewan Batoche, Saskatchewan, which lies between Prince Albert and Saskatoon, was the site of the historic Battle of Batoche during the North-West Rebellion of 1885. The battle resulted in the defeat of Louis Riel and his Métis forces by Major ...

. It was on the right bank of the river with a hill in the background. Today the ruins are a Provincial Historic Site. There is a marker and ongoing minor archaeological work.

References

;Bibliography *Elizabeth Browne Losey,"Let Them be Remembered: The Story of the Fur Trade Forts",1999 *Master's Thesis expressing uncertainty about location

{{coord, 52.89, N, 106.03333, W, dim:2000_region:CA-SK, display=title Hudson's Bay Company trading posts North West Company forts Forts in Saskatchewan Pedlars (fur trade) Prince Albert No. 461, Saskatchewan