Simon Thompson Fraser
(1776-1862) was an early explorer of what is now British Columbia and the first man to
explore the entirety of the Fraser River, which is named for him. His father, General
Simon Fraser (1729-1777), was mortally wounded at the Battle of Bemis Heights during the
American Revolutionary War. The younger Fraser was in charge of the North West Company's
operations west of the Rocky Mountains in 1805 when he began a quest to further expand
Alexander Mackenzie's exploration of the area.
During an
earlier exploration in 1803, Fraser ascended the Peace River and founded a trading post
at what is now Hudson's Hope. Fraser and his men ascended the Parsnip and Pack Rivers,
founding a fort at what is now McLeod Lake--the first permanent Canadian settlement west
of the Rockies.
Fraser next hoped to explore the length of
what he thought was the Columbia River. But delays prevented him from beginning his
exploration for two years. Before doing so, he founded a fort at what is now Prince
George before beginning his most famous exploration in 1808. Warned by locals that the
river that would later be named the Fraser River would be unnavigable, Fraser's party
abandoned their canoes near what is now Lillooet, and went on by foot. They were often
chased by hostile Indians, including one encounter near what is now Vancouver. Fraser
viewed the Strait of Georgia, but could not navigate it. The men continued with
difficulty to the site of what is now Hope, where they discovered that the river was not
the Columbia. The men then began their return trip, and Fraser had to circumvent a
mutiny by his men. They continued upstream from what is now Yale, and arrived back at
Fort George in early August. The entire exploration of the Fraser River took the men
more than two months. Afterward, he established a settlement at New
Caledonia.
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