Duncan McDougall (fur trader)
Encyclopedia
Duncan McDougall was a native of Scotland who first appears in history as a clerk with the North West Company
in 1801. This position was likely as a result of his uncles, Angus Shaw
and Alexander McDougall, who were both partners in the NWC.
In 1803 McDougall was in charge of building a post at Fort George River
on the east coast of Ungava Bay
at the mouth of the George River, Quebec
.
By 1810, Duncan had gone to work for John Jacob Astor
and the Pacific Fur Company
. He led the party that established Fort Astoria
in Oregon. By 1813 the Nor'westers had purchased Astoria and McDougall became a partner in the NWC in 1816. In 1817 he returned east to Fort William
with Angus Bethune
and others.
He agreed to take charge of the Winnipeg River district of the NWC and travelled there later in the year.
He died at Fort Bas de la Rivière
on 25 October 1818.
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 was to become Western Canada...
in 1801. This position was likely as a result of his uncles, Angus Shaw
Angus Shaw
Angus Shaw was a fur trader and political figure in Lower Canada.-Life:He was probably born in Scotland and came to North America some time before 1786, when he is found at Montreal. With the help of the Indian agent Colonel John Campbell of Glendaruel, he entered a partnership with an...
and Alexander McDougall, who were both partners in the NWC.
In 1803 McDougall was in charge of building a post at Fort George River
Kangiqsualujjuaq, Quebec
Kangiqsualujjuaq is an Inuit village with a population of approximately 620, located on the east coast of Ungava Bay at the mouth of the George River, in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada....
on the east coast of Ungava Bay
Ungava Bay
Ungava Bay is a large bay in northeastern Canada separating Nunavik from Baffin Island. The bay is shaped like a rounded square with a side length of about and has an area of approximately...
at the mouth of the George River, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
.
By 1810, Duncan had gone to work for John Jacob Astor
John Jacob Astor
John Jacob Astor , born Johann Jakob Astor, was a German-American business magnate and investor who was the first prominent member of the Astor family and the first multi-millionaire in the United States...
and the Pacific Fur Company
Pacific Fur Company
The Pacific Fur Company was founded June 23, 1810, in New York City. Half of the stock of the company was held by the American Fur Company, owned exclusively by John Jacob Astor, and Astor provided all of the capital for the enterprise. The other half of the stock was ascribed to working partners...
. He led the party that established Fort Astoria
Fort Astoria
Fort Astoria was the Pacific Fur Company's primary fur trading post in the Northwest, and was the first American-owned settlement on the Pacific coast. After a short two-year term of US ownership, the British owned and operated it for 33 years. It was the first British port on the Pacific coast...
in Oregon. By 1813 the Nor'westers had purchased Astoria and McDougall became a partner in the NWC in 1816. In 1817 he returned east to Fort William
Fort William Historical Park
Fort William Historical Park is a Canadian historical site located in Thunder Bay, Ontario, that contains a reconstruction of the Fort William fur trade post as it existed in 1815. It officially opened on July 3, 1973...
with Angus Bethune
Angus Bethune (fur trader)
Angus Bethune was the oldest son of the Reverend John Bethune. He had several distinguished brothers, Alexander Neil, who became Anglican bishop of Toronto; John, Anglican clergyman, dean of the diocese of Montreal and principal of McGill University; James Gray prominent Upper Canada businessman;...
and others.
He agreed to take charge of the Winnipeg River district of the NWC and travelled there later in the year.
He died at Fort Bas de la Rivière
Bas de la Rivière
Bas de la Rivière is a geographical area on both shores of the Winnipeg River at and near the mouth where it empties into Lake Winnipeg. It had a storied historical period in the opening of the west and the subsequent fur trade and settlement....
on 25 October 1818.