John Work
Encyclopedia
John Work was a chief factor of the Hudson's Bay Company
and head of one of the original founding families in Victoria
, British Columbia
. Work joined the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1814 and served in many capacities until his death in 1861, ultimately becoming a member of the company’s Board of Management for its Western Department. He also served on Vancouver Island’s Legislative Council. At the time of his death, Work was the largest private land owner of Vancouver Island
. Work left an important legacy in the form of sixteen journals which chronicle his trading expeditions from 1823 to 1851. His journals provide a detailed record of Pacific Northwest
land features, native peoples, and the Hudson’s Bay Company’s fur trading business in the early 19th century.
, Ireland
, probably in 1792. He was the eldest of six children of Henry Wark. He anglicized his name to "Work" when he joined the Hudson's Bay Company. There is no record of his schooling, but in later life his poor writing was taken as a sign of a deficient education. Work joined the Hudson's Bay Company on 15 June 1814 at Stromness
in the Orkney Islands
. This began his lifelong association with that company.
at two posts on Hudson Bay
. He was first assigned as a steward at York Factory in 1814 and 1815. He was then moved to a junior trader position at Severn House, where he became district master in 1818. After the Hudson Bay Company merged with North West Company
in 1821, Work was retained as a senior clerk and was put in charge of the Island Lake District, a position he held until 1823.
In 1823, Work was reassigned to the Columbia District. He traveled west in a party led by Peter Skene Ogden
. On this trip, Work began keeping a travel journal. It is a detailed record of his journey to the Columbia River
via the Athabasca River
and Athabasca Pass
. His party reached a site known as Boat Encampment
on the Columbia on 13 October, and proceeding down the river with the Hudson Bay Company trading brigade that had been sent to meet them. The party reached the Spokane River
on the 21 October. At that point, Ogden and Work traveled overland to their winter quarters at Spokane House
in what in now eastern Washington state.
During the 1824 trapping season, Work helped Finan McDonald extend the company’s fur trade into the Flathead country of Montana
. In the fall of 1824, Work accompanied Governor George Simpson (administrator)
and Chief Factor John McLoughlin
down the Columbia River to the company’s headquarters at Fort George
(now Astoria, Oregon
). In November 1824, Work joined an expedition led by Chief Trader James McMillan
that explored the lower Fraser River
looking for a site to establish a major trading post. On the return trip, his party discovered the Cowlitz Portage, which became an important route between the Columbia River and Puget Sound
. In the spring of 1825, Work helped move the company’s headquarters from Fort George to the newly established Fort Vancouver
on the north bank of the Columbia facing the mouth of the Willamette River
.
Later that year, Work was put in charge of Spokane House. Work spent the 1825–26 trapping season trading furs in Montana where he reopened Flathead House
. However, his most important job was to establish a new post on the Columbia near Kettle Falls
to be named Fort Colvile. After completing Fort Colvile, Work closed Spokane House in April 1826. Work ran his trading operations from Fort Colvile until the summer of 1829, often making short trading expeditions into British Columbia or accompanying fur cargos to Fort Vancouver.
In 1830, Chief Factor John McLoughlin put Work in charge of the Snake country trading brigade which had previously been run by Peter Skene Ogden. During the next year, Work travelled over 2,000 miles across Oregon
into what is now eastern Idaho
, western Montana, northwestern Utah
, and along the Humboldt River
in Nevada
. His expeditions were profitable, but Ogden had already explored and heavily trapped these areas. Because of this, Work recommended the annual Snake country expeditions be stopped. The next year, Work was sent into the Salmon River
country of Idaho and Montana’s Flathead country. The rugged terrain, hostile Blackfeet
Indians, and competition from the American trappers made these expeditions difficult. Work was promoted chief trader at the end of the 1831 season.
In 1832, the Hudson’s Bay Company sent Work to the Sacramento Valley
in Mexican California
. Trapping in the valley was very poor. Two previous Hudson’s Bay Company trapping expedition led by Ogden and Alexander Roderick McLeod
had already been through the valley 1829 and 1830. There was also another Hudson’s Bay Company brigade led by Michel Laframboise
and an American trapping party along with Work’s brigade trapping in the same area during the 1832 season. Hostile Indians forced Work and Laframboise to join forces. Their party explored the coast from San Francisco to Cape Mendocino
. Work returned to Fort Vancouver in October 1833.
In 1834, Work was posted to Fort Simpson
and put in charge of the company’s trade along the British Columbia coast. He supervised the construction of the fort, which was being relocated from the Nass River
to McLoughlin Bay. During a trading expedition in 1840, Work fell out of a tree, tearing open his abdomen and exposing his intestines. After pushing his intestines back into his body, he spent several days near death before continuing his journey.
In 1841, Governor Simpson decided to close all the coastal posts except Fort Simpson and Fort Stikine
. His plan was to use the company’s ship Beaver for most of the coastal trade. In 1842, John McLoughlin’s son was in charge of Fort Stikine. Work felt he needed more help so he arranged for the junior clerk at Fort Stikine to be transferred to Fort Simpson. This left the young McLoughlin without any company support at his post. A few months later, McLoughlin was murdered and his powerful father blamed Work for transferring his son’s only assistant away from Fort Stikine. In addition, it took over a year for Work to capture and send the three men involved in the murder south to Fort Vancouver. Work’s relations with McLoughlin never recovered. Fortunately for Work, McLoughlin resigned from the company in 1846. A month later, Work was promoted to chief factor.
In 1845, the Hudson’s Bay Company decided to put the Columbia Department in the hands of three chief factors. In 1846, Work, Ogden, and James Douglas
were selected to run of department. Work was placed in charge of the coastal trade including Forts Simpson, Fort Stikine, Fort Langley
, and the Beaver. Work’s new job required extensive travel up and down the coast. In 1849, Work decided to abandon Fort Stikine and establish Fort Rupert to exploit coal
deposits on the northern part of Vancouver Island. When the miners went on strike in 1850, Work went by canoe from Fort Simpson to Fort Victoria to consult with Douglas. He then went by canoe to Fort Rupert and successfully persuaded the miners to go back to work. In 1849, Work settled his large family at Fort Victoria
where his children could get an education. However, Fort Simpson remained his headquarters until 1851.
In 1852, Work purchased 823 acres of farmland north of the Fort Victoria and built a fine home there. A year later, Governor James Douglas appointed Work to the Legislative Council of Vancouver Island. Work supported Douglas in the controversy surrounding the appointment of David Cameron as chief justice of Vancouver Island. He opposed the establishment of an assembly for the colony because there were "so few people to govern" and "nobody to pay taxes to cover expenses." Work also continued his duties as chief factor of the Hudson’s Bay Company, acting as a trustee for its Fur Trade Branch which purchased land for settlers who could not afford the required minimum 20-acre lots at £1 per acre. For two month in 1861, Work was acting governor while Douglas was away on business. Work remained both a chief factor for the Hudson’s Bay Company and a member of the Legislative Council until his death in December 1861.
Indian chief, to secure good relations with the Native Americans living in along the Columbia River. Work did not follow the governor’s advice. Instead, he married Josette Legace, a mixed-blood woman from the Spokane tribe in 1826.
Work’s wife accompanied him on many of his trading expeditions. In addition, she and their younger children lived with him at Fort Simpson from 1836 until 1849, while their older children attended school at Fort Vancouver and then at the Methodist mission school on the Willamette River near what is now Salem, Oregon
. After finishing their schooling in 1841, the older girls joined the family at Fort Simpson.
In 1849, Work moved his family to Fort Victoria so the younger children could get an education. Work settled his family on an 823 acres farm north of the fort and built a large home there, which he called Hillside. By 1859, he owned over 1,800 acres, making him the largest private landowner on Vancouver Island.
Because of his remote assignments and constant travel, Work and his wife were unable to have a formal wedding until 1849. The couple was finally married in a church ceremony on 6 November 1849 at Fort Victoria.
Work was the father of eleven children, three boys and eight girls.
Several of Work’s son-in-laws were also well known Hudson’s Bay Company employees, including Doctor William Fraser Tolmie
, Roderick Finlayson
, Edward Huggins, and James Allan Grahame.
in the early 19th century. His journals have survived intact, making them among the oldest first-hand accounts of land features, native peoples, and the Hudson’s Bay Company fur trading operations in the Pacific Northwest. As such, they are important historical records.
In addition, there are many geographical features in the Pacific Northwest named in honor of John Work. Mount Work
, in the Gowlland Range
flanking the east shore of Saanich Inlet
and just northwest of Victoria, is named for him, Most of the range is in Mount Work Regional Park. Also named for him is Work Point at the west end of the peninsula, which now is a cruise ship terminal. Other locations named for him include Work Channel
, on the northeast side of the Tsimpsean Peninsula, just northeast of Prince Rupert
and near Fort Simpson, where he had served as Chief Factor; Work Bay in Finlayson Channel
; and Work Island near Butedale
.
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
and head of one of the original founding families in Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. Work joined the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1814 and served in many capacities until his death in 1861, ultimately becoming a member of the company’s Board of Management for its Western Department. He also served on Vancouver Island’s Legislative Council. At the time of his death, Work was the largest private land owner of Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
. Work left an important legacy in the form of sixteen journals which chronicle his trading expeditions from 1823 to 1851. His journals provide a detailed record of Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
land features, native peoples, and the Hudson’s Bay Company’s fur trading business in the early 19th century.
Early life
John Work was born in Taughboyne parish, St Johnstown in County DonegalCounty Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, probably in 1792. He was the eldest of six children of Henry Wark. He anglicized his name to "Work" when he joined the Hudson's Bay Company. There is no record of his schooling, but in later life his poor writing was taken as a sign of a deficient education. Work joined the Hudson's Bay Company on 15 June 1814 at Stromness
Stromness
Stromness is the second-biggest town in Orkney, Scotland. It is in the south-west of Mainland Orkney. It is also a parish, with the town of Stromness as its capital.-Etymology:...
in the Orkney Islands
Orkney Islands
Orkney also known as the Orkney Islands , is an archipelago in northern Scotland, situated north of the coast of Caithness...
. This began his lifelong association with that company.
Career
Work began his company service in North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
at two posts on Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay , sometimes called Hudson's Bay, is a large body of saltwater in northeastern Canada. It drains a very large area, about , that includes parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, southeastern Nunavut, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota,...
. He was first assigned as a steward at York Factory in 1814 and 1815. He was then moved to a junior trader position at Severn House, where he became district master in 1818. After the Hudson Bay Company merged with North West Company
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 1821, Work was retained as a senior clerk and was put in charge of the Island Lake District, a position he held until 1823.
In 1823, Work was reassigned to the Columbia District. He traveled west in a party led by Peter Skene Ogden
Peter Skene Ogden
Peter Skene Ogden , was a fur trader and a Canadian explorer of what is now British Columbia and the American West...
. On this trip, Work began keeping a travel journal. It is a detailed record of his journey to the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
via the Athabasca River
Athabasca River
The Athabasca River originates from the Columbia Glacier of the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada...
and Athabasca Pass
Athabasca Pass
Athabasca Pass is a high mountain pass in the Canadian Rockies. It is the headwaters of the Whirlpool River, a tributary of the Athabasca River.The pass lies between Mount Brown and McGillivray Ridge...
. His party reached a site known as Boat Encampment
Boat Encampment
Boat Encampment was a rendezvous and staging-point for the Hudson's Bay Company in the early 19th century and later a locality by that name in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It was located at the "top" of the Big Bend of the Columbia north of the city of Revelstoke, British Columbia...
on the Columbia on 13 October, and proceeding down the river with the Hudson Bay Company trading brigade that had been sent to meet them. The party reached the Spokane River
Spokane River
The Spokane River is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately long, in northern Idaho and eastern Washington in the United States. It drains a low mountainous area east of the Columbia, passing through the city of Spokane, Washington.-Description:...
on the 21 October. At that point, Ogden and Work traveled overland to their winter quarters at Spokane House
Spokane House
Spokane House was a fur trading post founded in 1810 by the British-Canadian North West Company under direction of David Thompson. The post was sited on a peninsula where the Spokane River and Little Spokane River meet. Today this site is in Spokane County in the U.S...
in what in now eastern Washington state.
During the 1824 trapping season, Work helped Finan McDonald extend the company’s fur trade into the Flathead country of Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
. In the fall of 1824, Work accompanied Governor George Simpson (administrator)
George Simpson (administrator)
Sir George Simpson was a Scots-Quebecer and employee of the Hudson's Bay Company . His title was Governor-in-Chief of Rupert's Land and administrator over the Northwest Territories and Columbia Department in British North America from 1821 to 1860.-Early years:George Simpson was born in Dingwall,...
and Chief Factor John McLoughlin
John McLoughlin
Dr. John McLoughlin, baptized Jean-Baptiste McLoughlin, was the Chief Factor of the Columbia Fur District of the Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Vancouver. He was later known as the "Father of Oregon" for his role in assisting the American cause in the Oregon Country in the Pacific Northwest...
down the Columbia River to the company’s headquarters at Fort George
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...
(now Astoria, Oregon
Astoria, Oregon
Astoria is the county seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Situated near the mouth of the Columbia River, the city was named after the American investor John Jacob Astor. His American Fur Company founded Fort Astoria at the site in 1811...
). In November 1824, Work joined an expedition led by Chief Trader James McMillan
James McMillan (fur trader)
James McMillan was a fur trader and explorer for the North West Company and Hudson's Bay Company. He led some of the earliest surveys of the lower Fraser River and founded Fort Langley for the HBC in 1827, and was its first Chief Trader....
that explored the lower Fraser River
Fraser River
The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...
looking for a site to establish a major trading post. On the return trip, his party discovered the Cowlitz Portage, which became an important route between the Columbia River and Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
. In the spring of 1825, Work helped move the company’s headquarters from Fort George to the newly established Fort Vancouver
Fort Vancouver
Fort Vancouver was a 19th century fur trading outpost along the Columbia River that served as the headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company in the company's Columbia District...
on the north bank of the Columbia facing the mouth of the Willamette River
Willamette River
The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States...
.
Later that year, Work was put in charge of Spokane House. Work spent the 1825–26 trapping season trading furs in Montana where he reopened Flathead House
Saleesh House
Saleesh House, also known as Flathead Post, was a North West Company fur trading post built near present-day Thompson Falls, Montana in 1809 by David Thompson and James McMillan of the North West Company. It became a Hudson's Bay Company post after that company absorbed the North West Company....
. However, his most important job was to establish a new post on the Columbia near Kettle Falls
Kettle Falls
Kettle Falls was an ancient and important salmon fishing site on the upper reaches of the Columbia River, in what is today the U.S. state of Washington, near the Canadian border...
to be named Fort Colvile. After completing Fort Colvile, Work closed Spokane House in April 1826. Work ran his trading operations from Fort Colvile until the summer of 1829, often making short trading expeditions into British Columbia or accompanying fur cargos to Fort Vancouver.
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
into what is now eastern Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, western Montana, northwestern Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, and along the Humboldt River
Humboldt River
The Humboldt River runs through northern Nevada in the western United States. At approximately long it is the second longest river in the Great Basin, after the Bear River. It has no outlet to the ocean, but instead empties into the Humboldt Sink...
in Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. His expeditions were profitable, but Ogden had already explored and heavily trapped these areas. Because of this, Work recommended the annual Snake country expeditions be stopped. The next year, Work was sent into the Salmon River
Salmon River (Idaho)
The Salmon River is located in Idaho in the northwestern United States. The Salmon is also known as The River of No Return. It flows for through central Idaho, draining and dropping more than between its headwaters, near Galena Summit above the Sawtooth Valley in the Sawtooth National...
country of Idaho and Montana’s Flathead country. The rugged terrain, hostile Blackfeet
Blackfeet
The Piegan Blackfeet are a tribe of Native Americans of the Algonquian language family based in Montana, having lived in this area since around 6,500 BC. Many members of the tribe live as part of the Blackfeet Nation in northwestern Montana, with population centered in Browning...
Indians, and competition from the American trappers made these expeditions difficult. Work was promoted chief trader at the end of the 1831 season.
In 1832, the Hudson’s Bay Company sent Work to the Sacramento Valley
Sacramento Valley
The Sacramento Valley is the portion of the California Central Valley that lies to the north of the San Joaquin-Sacramento Delta in the U.S. state of California. It encompasses all or parts of ten counties.-Geography:...
in Mexican California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Trapping in the valley was very poor. Two previous Hudson’s Bay Company trapping expedition led by Ogden and Alexander Roderick McLeod
Alexander Roderick McLeod
Alexander Roderick McLeod was a fur trader and explorer who began his career with the North West Company in 1802.McLeod became a chief trader with the Hudson's Bay Company after they joined with the NWC in 1821...
had already been through the valley 1829 and 1830. There was also another Hudson’s Bay Company brigade led by Michel Laframboise
Michel Laframboise
Michel Laframboise was a French Canadian fur trader in the Oregon Country that settled on the French Prairie in the modern U.S. state of Oregon. A native of Quebec, he worked for the Pacific Fur Company, the North West Company, and the Hudson’s Bay Company before he later became a farmer and...
and an American trapping party along with Work’s brigade trapping in the same area during the 1832 season. Hostile Indians forced Work and Laframboise to join forces. Their party explored the coast from San Francisco to Cape Mendocino
Cape Mendocino
Cape Mendocino located on the Lost Coast entirely within Humboldt County, California, USA, is the westernmost point on the coast of California. It has been a landmark since the 16th century when the Manila Galleons would reach the coast here following the prevailing westerlies all the way across...
. Work returned to Fort Vancouver in October 1833.
In 1834, Work was posted to Fort Simpson
Fort Simpson (Columbia Department)
Fort Simpson was a fur trading post established in 1831 by the Hudson's Bay Company near the mouth of the Nass River in present-day British Columbia, Canada. In 1834 it was moved to the Tsimpsean Peninsula, about halfway between the Nass River and the Skeena River...
and put in charge of the company’s trade along the British Columbia coast. He supervised the construction of the fort, which was being relocated from the Nass River
Nass River
The Nass River is a river in northern British Columbia, Canada. It flows from the Coast Mountains southwest to Nass Bay, a sidewater of Portland Inlet, which connects to the North Pacific Ocean via the Dixon Entrance...
to McLoughlin Bay. During a trading expedition in 1840, Work fell out of a tree, tearing open his abdomen and exposing his intestines. After pushing his intestines back into his body, he spent several days near death before continuing his journey.
In 1841, Governor Simpson decided to close all the coastal posts except Fort Simpson and Fort Stikine
Fort Stikine
Fort Stikine was a fur trade post and fortification in what is now the Alaska Panhandle, at the site of the present-day of Wrangell, Alaska, United States...
. His plan was to use the company’s ship Beaver for most of the coastal trade. In 1842, John McLoughlin’s son was in charge of Fort Stikine. Work felt he needed more help so he arranged for the junior clerk at Fort Stikine to be transferred to Fort Simpson. This left the young McLoughlin without any company support at his post. A few months later, McLoughlin was murdered and his powerful father blamed Work for transferring his son’s only assistant away from Fort Stikine. In addition, it took over a year for Work to capture and send the three men involved in the murder south to Fort Vancouver. Work’s relations with McLoughlin never recovered. Fortunately for Work, McLoughlin resigned from the company in 1846. A month later, Work was promoted to chief factor.
In 1845, the Hudson’s Bay Company decided to put the Columbia Department in the hands of three chief factors. In 1846, Work, Ogden, and James Douglas
James Douglas (Governor)
Sir James Douglas KCB was a company fur-trader and a British colonial governor on Vancouver Island in northwestern North America, particularly in what is now British Columbia. Douglas worked for the North West Company, and later for the Hudson's Bay Company becoming a high-ranking company officer...
were selected to run of department. Work was placed in charge of the coastal trade including Forts Simpson, Fort Stikine, Fort Langley
Fort Langley National Historic Site
Fort Langley is a former trading post of the Hudson's Bay Company, now located in the village of Fort Langley, British Columbia. Commonly referred to as "the birthplace of British Columbia", it is designated a National Historic Site of Canada and administered by Parks Canada.-A new fort:After John...
, and the Beaver. Work’s new job required extensive travel up and down the coast. In 1849, Work decided to abandon Fort Stikine and establish Fort Rupert to exploit coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
deposits on the northern part of Vancouver Island. When the miners went on strike in 1850, Work went by canoe from Fort Simpson to Fort Victoria to consult with Douglas. He then went by canoe to Fort Rupert and successfully persuaded the miners to go back to work. In 1849, Work settled his large family at Fort Victoria
Fort Victoria (British Columbia)
Fort Victoria was a fur trading post of the Hudson’s Bay Company, the headquarters of HBC operations in British Columbia. The fort was the beginnings of a settlement that eventually grew into the modern Victoria, British Columbia, the capital city of British Columbia.The headquarters of HBC...
where his children could get an education. However, Fort Simpson remained his headquarters until 1851.
In 1852, Work purchased 823 acres of farmland north of the Fort Victoria and built a fine home there. A year later, Governor James Douglas appointed Work to the Legislative Council of Vancouver Island. Work supported Douglas in the controversy surrounding the appointment of David Cameron as chief justice of Vancouver Island. He opposed the establishment of an assembly for the colony because there were "so few people to govern" and "nobody to pay taxes to cover expenses." Work also continued his duties as chief factor of the Hudson’s Bay Company, acting as a trustee for its Fur Trade Branch which purchased land for settlers who could not afford the required minimum 20-acre lots at £1 per acre. For two month in 1861, Work was acting governor while Douglas was away on business. Work remained both a chief factor for the Hudson’s Bay Company and a member of the Legislative Council until his death in December 1861.
Family
In 1825, Governor Simpson suggested that Work marry the daughter of a CayuseCayuse
The Cayuse are a Native American tribe in the state of Oregon in the United States. The Cayuse tribe shares a reservation in northeastern Oregon with the Umatilla and the Walla Walla tribes as part of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation...
Indian chief, to secure good relations with the Native Americans living in along the Columbia River. Work did not follow the governor’s advice. Instead, he married Josette Legace, a mixed-blood woman from the Spokane tribe in 1826.
Work’s wife accompanied him on many of his trading expeditions. In addition, she and their younger children lived with him at Fort Simpson from 1836 until 1849, while their older children attended school at Fort Vancouver and then at the Methodist mission school on the Willamette River near what is now Salem, Oregon
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
. After finishing their schooling in 1841, the older girls joined the family at Fort Simpson.
In 1849, Work moved his family to Fort Victoria so the younger children could get an education. Work settled his family on an 823 acres farm north of the fort and built a large home there, which he called Hillside. By 1859, he owned over 1,800 acres, making him the largest private landowner on Vancouver Island.
Because of his remote assignments and constant travel, Work and his wife were unable to have a formal wedding until 1849. The couple was finally married in a church ceremony on 6 November 1849 at Fort Victoria.
Work was the father of eleven children, three boys and eight girls.
- Jane, born at Fort Colvile in 1827, married W. Tolmie in 1850
- Sarah, born at Fort Colvile in 1829, married R. Finlayson in 1849
- Leticia, born in Idaho in 1831, married E. Huggins in 1857
- Margaret, born at Fort Vancouver in 1836, married E. Jackson in 1861
- Mary, born at Fort Simpson in 1837, married J. Grahame in 1860
- John, born at Fort Simpson in 1839
- Catherine, born at Fort Simpson between 1840 and 1842, married C. Wallace in 1861
- Josette, born at Fort Victoria in 1843, married E. Prior in 1878
- Henry, born at Fort Simpson in 1844 or 1845 (died in an accident at a young age)
- David, born at Fort Simpson in 1846
- Cecilia, born at Fort Simpson in 1849, married C. Jones in 1870
Several of Work’s son-in-laws were also well known Hudson’s Bay Company employees, including Doctor William Fraser Tolmie
William Fraser Tolmie
William Fraser Tolmie was a Canadian surgeon, fur trader, scientist, and politician....
, Roderick Finlayson
Roderick Finlayson
Roderick Finlayson was a Canadian Hudson's Bay Company officer, farmer, businessman, and politician.Born in Loch Alsh , Scotland, Finlayson came to North America in 1837...
, Edward Huggins, and James Allan Grahame.
Legacy
Work chronicled his trading expeditions in sixteen meticulously kept journals, covering the period from July 1823 to October 1835 plus one additional trip in 1851. Although his journals are written as matter-of-fact business correspondence, they provide a detailed record of the Oregon CountryOregon Country
The Oregon Country was a predominantly American term referring to a disputed ownership region of the Pacific Northwest of North America. The region was occupied by British and French Canadian fur traders from before 1810, and American settlers from the mid-1830s, with its coastal areas north from...
in the early 19th century. His journals have survived intact, making them among the oldest first-hand accounts of land features, native peoples, and the Hudson’s Bay Company fur trading operations in the Pacific Northwest. As such, they are important historical records.
In addition, there are many geographical features in the Pacific Northwest named in honor of John Work. Mount Work
Mount Work
Mount Work is a 449 m mountain in the Gowlland Range on southern Vancouver Island. It is located within Mount Work Regional Park in the District of Highlands, near Gowlland Tod Provincial Park and Goldstream Provincial Park, 14 km northwest of Victoria....
, in the Gowlland Range
Gowlland Range
The Gowlland Range is a low, small mountain range on southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, located just east of Saanich Inlet and south of Brentwood Bay. It has an area of 58 km2 and is a subrange of the Vancouver Island Ranges which in turn form part of the Insular Mountains....
flanking the east shore of Saanich Inlet
Saanich Inlet
Saanich Inlet is a body of salt water that lies between the Saanich Peninsula and the Malahat highlands of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Located just northwest of Victoria, the inlet is 24 km long , has a surface area of 65 km2 , and its maximum depth is 225 m . Great...
and just northwest of Victoria, is named for him, Most of the range is in Mount Work Regional Park. Also named for him is Work Point at the west end of the peninsula, which now is a cruise ship terminal. Other locations named for him include Work Channel
Work Channel
Work Channel is a channel in the North Coast region of the Canadian province of British Columbia. It lies to the northeast of the Tspimpsean Peninsula. It was named about 1837 by officers of the Hudson's Bay Company after John Wark. It was first charted in 1793 by James Johnstone and Robert Barrie,...
, on the northeast side of the Tsimpsean Peninsula, just northeast of Prince Rupert
Prince Rupert, British Columbia
Prince Rupert is a port city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is the land, air, and water transportation hub of British Columbia's North Coast, and home to some 12,815 people .-History:...
and near Fort Simpson, where he had served as Chief Factor; Work Bay in Finlayson Channel
Finlayson Channel
Finlayson Channel is a channel of the British Columbia Coast. It is a northern extension of Milbanke Sound. To its west are Swindle and Sarah Islands, to its east Roderick, Susan and Dowager Islands. It was first charted in 1793 by James Johnstone, one of George Vancouver's lieutenants during his...
; and Work Island near Butedale
Butedale, British Columbia
Butedale is a ghost town that was founded on Princess Royal Island, British Columbia in 1918 as a fishing, mining and logging camp. Initially the salmon cannery was established by Western Packers which was purchased and operated by the Canadian Fishing Company until it ceased operating in the 1950s...
.
Further reading
- The Journal of John Work: A Chief-Trader of the Hudson's Bay Co. During His Expedition from Vancouver to the Flatheads and Blackfeet of the Pacific Northwest, by William Stanley Lewis, 2006.
External links
- Known Journals of John Work
- John Work’s account of a 1824 Columbia River trading expedition
- John Work’s journal of exploration of the lower Frasier River
- John Work’s journal account of an 1830 trip from Fort Colvile to Fort Vancouver
- John Work’s journal covering the Snake Country Expedition of 1830-31 (Part 1)
- John Work’s journal covering the Snake Country Expedition of 1830-31 (Part 2)