Oregon mission Fort Edmonton

this watercolor scale diagram of fort drawn vavasour in 1846.

though distant territory in question, fort edmonton, important stop on york factory express overland trade route, peripherally involved in oregon boundary dispute. pair of british army lieutenants, mervin vavasour , henry james warre, sent on mission in guise of eccentric gentlemen reconnoitre lower columbia river valley , puget sound. among other objectives, determine hbc posts used in military conflict. trip had been encouraged sir george simpson governor of hudson s bay company. warre , vavasour reported mountain passes unsuitable troop transport. mission took them through fort edmonton in fall of 1845, , again on way montreal in 1846. wrote: without attempting describe numerous defiles through passed, or difficulty of forcing passage through burnt forests, , on high land, may venture assert, sir george simpson s idea of transporting troops. . . stores, etc. through such extent of uncultivated country , on such impracticable mountains appear quite unfeasible. other forts visited on mission, vavasour drew plan of edmonton.