William Cowan (fur trader)
Encyclopedia
Doctor William Cowan was a physician and fur trade
r.
He was born in Scotland
in 1818 and studied medicine at the University of Glasgow
. He caught cholera
during the epidemic of 1848–1849 and decided to move to Canada
for his health. He went to Upper Fort Garry in the Red River settlement
as a physician for a group being sent there.
In 1852, he was appointed chief magistrate and became a member of the Council of Assiniboia
the following year. Cowan joined the Hudson's Bay Company
as a doctor and fur trader and, in 1856, he was sent to Moose Factory
. He became chief trader there in 1860. In 1862, he returned to Upper Fort Garry as second-in-command to the governor of Assiniboia, William Mactavish
.
On November 2, 1869, Louis Riel
and the National Committee took control of Upper Fort Garry. Cowan spent the winter under house arrest but is believed to have been sympathetic to Riel's group. In the spring, Cowan left the colony and returned to Britain on furlough.
On his retirement in 1871, Cowan returned to Saint Paul, Minnesota
. In 1879, he helped establish the Manitoba Historical Society and served as its president from 1881 to 1882. He served as an honorary consultant for the Winnipeg General Hospital
, incorporated in 1882. In 1885, he returned to St. Paul and died there in 1902.
Cowan's journals served as an important record of the early events in the Red River Rebellion
.
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
r.
He was born in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in 1818 and studied medicine at the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
. He caught cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
during the epidemic of 1848–1849 and decided to move to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
for his health. He went to Upper Fort Garry in the Red River settlement
Red River Colony
The Red River Colony was a colonization project set up by Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk in 1811 on of land granted to him by the Hudson's Bay Company under what is referred to as the Selkirk Concession. The colony along the Red River of the North was never very successful...
as a physician for a group being sent there.
In 1852, he was appointed chief magistrate and became a member of the Council of Assiniboia
Council of Assiniboia
The Council of Assiniboia was, from 1821 until 1870, the appointed administrative body of Rupert's Land.-History:This Council was created by the Hudson's Bay Company to govern the territory following its merger with the North West Company, and the death of Lord Selkirk...
the following year. Cowan joined the Hudson's Bay Company
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...
as a doctor and fur trader and, in 1856, he was sent to Moose Factory
Moose Factory, Ontario
Moose Factory is a community in the Cochrane District, Ontario, Canada. It is on Moose Factory Island, near the mouth of the Moose River, which is at the southern end of James Bay. It was the first English-speaking settlement in Ontario and the second Hudson's Bay Company post to be set up in North...
. He became chief trader there in 1860. In 1862, he returned to Upper Fort Garry as second-in-command to the governor of Assiniboia, William Mactavish
William Mactavish
William Mactavish or McTavish was a Scottish-born representative of the Hudson's Bay Company, who acted as governor of Rupert's Land and Assiniboia prior to the transfer of Rupert's Land to Canada and the creation of the province of Manitoba in 1870.-External links:*...
.
On November 2, 1869, Louis Riel
Louis Riel
Louis David Riel was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and a political and spiritual leader of the Métis people of the Canadian prairies. He led two resistance movements against the Canadian government and its first post-Confederation Prime Minister, Sir John A....
and the National Committee took control of Upper Fort Garry. Cowan spent the winter under house arrest but is believed to have been sympathetic to Riel's group. In the spring, Cowan left the colony and returned to Britain on furlough.
On his retirement in 1871, Cowan returned to Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
. In 1879, he helped establish the Manitoba Historical Society and served as its president from 1881 to 1882. He served as an honorary consultant for the Winnipeg General Hospital
Winnipeg General Hospital
Winnipeg General Hospital was founded in 1872 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It was built on the estate of Andrew McDermot. The driving force behind the hospital was McDermott's son-in-law Andrew Bannatyne....
, incorporated in 1882. In 1885, he returned to St. Paul and died there in 1902.
Cowan's journals served as an important record of the early events in the Red River Rebellion
Red River Rebellion
The Red River Rebellion or Red River Resistance was the sequence of events related to the 1869 establishment of a provisional government by the Métis leader Louis Riel and his followers at the Red River Settlement, in what is now the Canadian province of Manitoba.The Rebellion was the first crisis...
.