12 DAYS WITH DOG SLEDS


C.F. Hanington
1874

I live in Quesnel and celebrate the history of sled dogs and dog mushing in this area…such as it is. The fact is, sled dogs did not play a big role in the Cariboo Gold Rush and in travels up and down the Cariboo Waggon Road. It was only as exploration and development moved north of Quesnel that sled dogs appeared on the scene. It was particularly exciting to come across the following book and in particular one of the chapters about a journey along the Telegraph Trail/Blackwater Road by dog team….a journey from Quesnelle to Fort George [Quesnel to Prince George].
FROM TRAIL TO RAIL
SURVEYS AND GOLD
1892 - 1904
Fort George, Fort St. James, Fort Fraser

Edited by Audrey Smedley L’Heureux

Northern B.C. Book Publishing
Vanderhoof, B.C.
Limited Edition, 1,000 copies

“The story as told by people searching for gold, working on telegraph line construction and surveying for the Canadian Pacific Railway in the Peace, Nechako and Upper Fraser Rivers….Eye witness stories out of the Heart of British Columbia”.

Audrey Smedley was the owner publisher of the Vanderhoof Nechako Chronicle newspaper up to the early 1970’s. She obviously had a deep affection for the history of the north/central interior of B.C., she exhaustively researched the reports and records written/documented by those people who actually opened up this part of British Columbia. The following account is based on The Journal of Mr. C.F. Hanington from Quesnelle through the Rocky Mountains, during the winter of 1874-75 given in The Report of Canadian Archives for 1887

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To set things into perspective. Quesnel B.C., known originally as Quesnelle and then as Quesnellemouth [to distinguish it from Quesnel Forks] was strategically located at the end of the Cariboo Waggon Road and as the jumping off spot for the Cariboo goldfields centred to the east at Barkerville on Williams Creek.

The Cariboo Waggon Road [note the distinctive spelling] was built by the colonial government of New Caledonia in the 1860’s, British Columbia did not become a province of Canada until 1871. The Cariboo Waggon Road was built to expedite transportation to the gold fields, but probably more importantly, it was also built to ensure that this part of Britain’s west coast colony did not fall into the hands of the Americans who were flooding into the region in the quest for gold. As the California goldfields became less productive, eager prospectors made their way north to the Fraser River goldfields and then in the late 1850’s, into the Cariboo goldfields. To assist with construction of the Cariboo Waggon Road and also to provide some presence of colonial authority and law and order, the Royal Engineers, a British regiment were sent to New Caledonia.

Depending on which way you might be travelling, Quesnel, which is located at that point where the Quesnel River flows into the Fraser River, became the trailhead [for those heading south] or the end of the road or jumping off point [for those travelling north].

In 1868, Quesnel was the jumping off point for the north central British Columbia portion of construction of the Collins Overland Telegraph Line [there was also construction on this project taking place further west in New Caledonia and further north, in Alaska and in Russia].

In the warmer months, it was possible to travel northward by boat along the Fraser River and then west from the Hudson’s Bay Post at Fort George, along the Nechako River and the Stuart River to Fort St. James. From there it was possible to travel over Stuart and Babine Lakes, eventually linking with the Skeena River which flows west into the Pacific ocean.

An overland route was also developed north of Quesnel, essentially following the route of the Collins Overland Telegraph, which travelled north to Fort Fraser and then West to Hazelton where it then swung northwards towards Telegraph Creek. However there also were side roads [trails] built to Fort George and also northwards to Fort St. James and beyond, to the Omineca goldfields. As the north central part of British Columbia was being developed, there was an ever-increasing need for upgrading those transportation routes running north-south. The route north from Quesnel, locally known as the Blackwater Road, was the only practical transportation route in the winter months, and was travelled by horses and sleighs, dog teams and on foot with the use of snowshoes.

At the same time that the telegraph line was being constructed, there was also a great deal of exploration and surveying taking place in an attempt to determine the best route for the C.P.R., which eventually resulted in the construction of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway running from Winnipeg to Prince Rupert, and which became a reality in 1914. C.F. Hanington was just one of several men engaged in this exploration and surveying. He found himself in Quesnel as winter was setting in and the description of his journey to Fort George by dog team is one of the very few documented accounts of this arduous winter journey.

To lead into the description of Haninton’s trip by dog team from Quesnel, north to Fort George and then east to Edmonton, here is a quote from the book Canada’s Great Highway, From the Driving of the First Stake in 1871 to the Driving of the Last Spike in 1885. London, 1924.

“….in the Fall of 1874, when on my way home, passing through Quesnelle [he was travelling south], I shook hands with E.W. Jarvis and C.F. Hanington and wished them good luck. They were fitting out for a winter trip through the Smoky River Pass, which had been reported as feasible.

They had got together some Indians and about thirteen dogs of different denominations. Although suffering untold hardships they accomplished that long trek across those icy barriers and having eaten their last dog arrived at Edmonton in the Spring of 1875, very emaciated but alive. And I have no doubt the report of these gentlemen eventually found its way into the blue books of Canada, but their personal loyalty and bravery can never be
over-estimated”.

On December 8th, 1874, Hanington’s party set off from Quesnelle “about 12 noon with teams pretty well loaded with grub and other supplies….The whole town turned out and bid us ‘God speed’….we heard many prophecies in regard to our going to destruction. We found the trail for a short distance very good, it having been kept broken by some ranchmen who live a short distance above, but it was hilly and side hill at that, so that with upsets, broken sled and other disasters being the results, we found ourselves at dark only 3 miles from Quesnelle. We struck for the last house and got to Pollock’s at 6, rather used up and having left one load behind. Pollock was kind and gave us a supper and a place for the dogs who also were played out”. [It is possible to picture the crowd outside of the Occidental Hotel on Quesnel’s Front Street as the teams made their way across the frozen Fraser River and striking out on the route north, the geography hasn’t changed much since that time. The hills and side hills are still there, but to learn that in six hours, while travelling over what was possibly the best part of the trail that the team had only travelled 3 miles doesn’t bode too well for the journey. It is difficult to know just what this outfit looked like. No-doubt the dogs were harnessed with padded collar harness, running in tandem. The sleds were most likely jerry-rigged Yukon platform/freight sleds although there is also reason to believe that dog team toboggans may have been used. In any event they were grossly overloaded. The earlier description of the teams as being comprised of “thirteen dogs of differing denominations” doesn’t sound too promising but is a reflection of the fact that good sled dogs simply weren’t in good supply in this area. To the south of Quesnel, all of the transportation along the Cariboo Waggon Road was with horses or on foot. To the east towards Barkerville, the snow was simply too deep to allow for the use of sled dogs. To the north, the HBC in Fort St. James was scrambling for good dogs and in fact had imported sled dogs into the region from the Athabasca [Fort Chipewyan] fur trade district].

“The next day we mended broken sleds, broke a track a few miles out [on snowshoes]…went back and brought up the cached sled. On the 10th we made a fresh start, left some of our stores at Pollock’s, as the sleds were altogether too heavy for such a trail. [The trail] was built by some telegraph company [I forget which] who proposed to run a telegraph line up north to Behring’s Straits and thence to Asia by a short cable. This line was actually in working order for some 200 miles, when the news of the success of the Atlantic cable put a stop to the operations…..the company left everything as it then was. The wire now hangs broken and twisted from the posts, the greater part of the offices [cabins] are burned down and the only result of such a vast expenditure of money is the trail we take on our way to Fort George…..after a hard day we made camp only 7 miles from Pollock’s or 10 miles from Quesnelle”.

“On the 13th we were 45 miles from Quesnelle, having had some fearfully bad trail over side hill and deep snow. Of course side hills are good enough for mule trains but when you try dogs you will find they won’t work worth a cent. The dogs to straight enough but the sled won’t keep after them, being more inclined to seek the valley below. So as you can imagine it requires a good deal of work and patience to keep the sled in the road while the dogs haul”. [Oh the blessed side hill…and running dogs on a side hill, especially without any kind of groomed trail is as difficult today as it was over 100 years ago]. “…….We had a very heavy fall of snow, but were able to make 12 miles that day…..I gave my train to Johnny and went ahead with Jarvis, who in additon to the work of breaking track had been very busy all the time counting his steps, so as to get the correct distance….when you walk all day and think of nothing but 1, 2,3, etc. it is monotonous enough for anything”.

“We had a hard bit of work at the Blackwater River, 50 miles from Quesnelle. The river is bridged by poles and telegraph wire, but on this side it is bare ground and the hill is very steep indeed. The poor dogs did their best to get up, but the end of the matter was that we hauled the loads and they looked on. I went back to my own train, and with three men hauling, we got it up at last, but I am afraid my whip did more than its share of duty that day. We now had about two feet of snow, which was very soft and clung to our snowshoes in great masses; it was also very hard on the dogs, this wading through snow, only freshly beaten down by two pair of snowshoes”. [Those who travel out to where this trail crosses the Blackwater river will see exactly the same terrain today…With the construction of a second telegraph line known as the Yukon Telegraph in the late 1890’s, this spot this became a location on the map called ‘Blackwater’ and is well described in Guy Lawrence’s book 40 Years on the Yukon Telegraph. The reality is, this whole area was very difficult country for the use of sled dogs because of the great amount of snowfall and the dense forest cover. This no-doubt explains why local Carrier First Nations had not, over time, developed this mode of transportation . It is my understanding that in winter, with the heavy snow cover, it was time to retreat to the pit houses and to sit tight. There was not a great deal of big game to be hunted in the winter, moose had not yet arrived in this country and the mountain caribou were high up in the mountains in the deep snow. Alexander Mackenzie, in his 1793 journal talks about the ’red deer’ and these are believed to have been elk. One of the most significant trade goods that the HBC brought from the east to trade with the local Carrier were large hides that could be made into clothing and footwear. I have been told that local First Nations used snowshoes but I have never seen a description of just what these snowshoes looked like or how they were constructed. Winter was apparently a time to sit tight and to eat dried salmon, dried berries and any other small game that might be available].

“On account of the heavy snow we had, on the 16th to make another cache of provisions, stationery box, etc. and on the 17th one of our sleds rolled down a steep side hill, and when recovered wasn’t worth much, except as kindling wood. The dogs were all right; how they manage themselves I don’t know, so we had the rest on our back, the four dogs running with only their harness to trouble them”.

“…..After crossing the Blackwater we left the telegraph trail, which goes on north and took a C.P.R. trail to Fort George. This latter is, if possible, a worse one than the telegraph trail. At noon on the 18th, as we were at lunch, an Indian from Fort George came along….the Indian had a small dog, on which he had his kettle, blanket and grub, he himself carrying the axe and some fuel. Happy thought for us, why ot make these beasts of ours do some of our woek….we loaded them and started, Jarvis ahead, counting one, two, three, I next calling along the packed dogs and Johnny behind, poking up the lagging ones with a stick. Alec drove the sled behind. It was a comic sight…..but soon [the dogs] got used to it and were able to follow us, and we went at a good pace, being on a hard track and in a hurry. At any rate we got into Fort George about 5:00 p.m. that night, though Alex and his train didn’t arrive for some hours after. Distance by our pacing, 125 miles from Quesnelle. By the river it would have been 83 miles. We spent 12 days on the way, one of which was at Pollock’s. Greatest distance we did was on the last day, 23 miles. On the way we had used up one sled completely, and the other is fit for nothing now. We made three caches, containing in all about two-thirds of our original loads…..The country between Quesnelle and here is wooded, in some places burnt over, in others green. It is very hilly and broken, and the trail generally runs from the top of one hill to the top of the next, making it first rate for a telegraph line, but very tough on dogs and us….On the whole it is the worst place I ever saw to do this kind of travelling and I shall never try it again”.

[]Hanington and his party regroups in Fort George as this was just the first step of their journey which would take them to Edmonton and eventually to Winnipeg. They scrounged Fort George for more dogs and equipment as well as dog food, eventually getting all three for Fort St. James. They also had to retrace their steps in order to retrieve their belongings for the three caches that they had made en route].

“On the 8th of this month [January] the day after we started the Indian to look for Alec, he returned having met the youth down the river a day’s travel. Alec had a hard trip, having brought the dogs, sleds and loads up the [Fraser] river as far as 1st canon in a canoe”. [This sounds like the Cottonwood Canyon on the Fraser River, just upstream from the confluence of the Fraser and Cottonwood Rivers]. “He then started up the river with the train [dog team] but the ice was very bad and he finally had to leave his load, the dogs being played out for want of grub. He had started from Quesnelle with six days’ grub expecting to make quick time on the river. At Blackwater [and here he may be referring to the mouth of the Blackwater River where it flows into the Fraser River, which was the site of a First Nations settlement that was totally decimated in a smallpox epidemic] he got an Indian to help him and together the three packed a good part of the load up [the Fraser river towards Fort George], one important part was a mail containing letters from home".

[Hanington’s party finally did get underway from Fort George as part of a much larger group of “dog trains” that were travelling eastward from Fort St. James. The use of the term “dog trains” seems to be unique to western Canada and the fur trade and it would appear that a “dog train” as the term is used in this context is in fact a dog team, I had always thought that the term referred to a group or number of dog teams travelling together. Hanington’s journal continues, here’s hoping that the rest of the trip was a little easier].