About two hours northeast of Edmonton, is the town of Elk Point.
You wouldn’t know it to look at it, but this small community of 1,300 people has a deep history dating back to the 1790s when both the Hudson’s Bay Company and the North West Company established fur trading forts in the area.
Located along the abundant North Saskatchewan River, it was an excellent place to connect with First Nations.
If you can make the trip, I highly recommend it.
First, you’ll see a beautiful sculpture of an Elk.
A logical attraction given the name.
And then you’ll see a very large statue of a man holding surveying equipment and looking off towards the horizon.
It’s carved out by a chainsaw.
It stands at an impressive 9.8 metres or about three-storey high.
Over two hundred years ago, this man happened to be to map this area and much of Alberta.
I’m Craig Baird, this is Canadian History Ehx, and today I’m sharing the story of one of Canada’s greatest surveyors and explorers.
This is the tale of…Peter Fidler.
If you’re a longtime listener, you know that many of our stories begin not in Canada but Britain.
Peter Fidler is no different.
He was born on Aug. 16, 1769, in Derbyshire, England to James and Mary Fidler.
Besides that, very little is known about his early life.
We do know that his father worked as the village constable, while his brother James Jr. was a road surveyor.
At some point, Fidler must have excelled in school because he caught the eye of one of the most prominent companies in the British Empire.
The Hudson’s Bay Company.
At the time, The Company recruited young men from England to be clerks and labourers.
Most were poor, either looking for opportunities or adventure in North America.
The Company couldn’t just accept anyone, so it chose those sturdies enough for the fur trade and smart enough to excel at logistics.
Enter…. Peter Fidler.
In April 1788, he was on board a ship on his way to a new life in the wilderness.
You’ll remember that at the time it was known as Rupert’s Land. In 1670, King Charles II gave the Hudson’s Bay Company a monopoly over a 3.8 million square kilometres area one-third of modern-day Canada.
Rupert’s Land essentially stretched from Labrador and Baffin island, to the Rocky Mountains.
If you are a long-time listener, you will know of Rupert’s Land from my episodes about George Simpson, Thanadelthur and Henry Kelsey, just to name a few.
Fidler had signed a five-year contract as a labourer for the company.
It would be back breaking work.
Fidler would be expected to haul furs, supplies, firewood and more.
And the hard work would start the second he landed in Rupert’s Land, because there would be no other choice.
As the wind howled on the cold shore of Hudson Bay, Fidler stared at his new home… a large wooden fort and the next ship would not arrive at York Factory for another year.
We don’t know Fidler’s thoughts at the time, but we know he wasn’t a labourer for long.
Described as exceptionally bright and motivated, his superiors at York Factory saw that he was too valuable to be a labourer.
He was good with writing and numbers and before long, he was promoted to journal writing.
Described as a sober, steady young man, he was considered qualified to be a quote,
“good scholar and accountant.” end quote
His new position took him further inland into North America for the first time, visiting Manchester House and then South Branch House.
He was a rising star in the Hudson’s Bay Company, and they ensured he had the best mentor.
In 1790, Fidler and another young employee by the name of David Thompson, were sent to Cumberland House in present-day north-central Saskatchewan to begin training as surveyors.
Their teacher was the first man ever hired to be a full-time surveyor by the Hudson’s Bay Company, Philip Turnor.
At the time, Philip Turnor was one of the most respected men in the Hudson’s Bay Company.
In his late-20s he mapped out large sections of the northern Canadian Prairies.
He followed in the footsteps of fur trading explorers Henry Kelsey and Anthony Henday decades earlier.
The Hudson’s Bay Company entrusted him with the tutelage of Thompson and Fidler.
They wanted the best man to teach this new generation because they had high hopes for Fidler and Thompson.
The two were destined to become legends in the history of the fur trade in Canada, and in both life and death Thompson overshadowed Fidler.
But this wasn’t always the case.
At first though, Fidler had the upper hand because of a nearly tragic circumstance.
On Dec. 23, 1788, while out at Pine Island Fort along the North Saskatchewan River, Thompson fell down an embankment and seriously fractured his tibia, likely a compound fracture, which is when the broken bone pierces through the skin, causing a risk of infection.
It took hours for his fellow travelers to find him and carry him back to the fort.
By then, his leg was severely swollen and not healing properly.
Such an injury could be fatal or crippling.
It took three months for Thompson to even get out of bed, and five months before he was able to walk with the help of crutches.
The injury was so severe he could not travel back to York Factory for transport to England.
Instead, he had to spend the next two years recovering in Rupert’s Land.
Thompson said it was the best thing that ever happened to him, and you can learn all about it in my episode from early 2024.
For Fidler, while Thompson healed, he was given the chance to travel with his mentor Philip Turnor on a mission for The Company.
They would journey into the interior of the continent to see what the rival North West Company was up to in the Athabasca Country.
Along the way, they would look for a direct river route from Hudson Bay to Lake Athabasca and give the Company a leg up in their competition.
Athabasca Country was home to the Cree, Chipewyan and Dene, and was a prime fur trade location.
Cold winter months made for especially thick furs on beavers and thus they were more valuable than elsewhere.
The problem was that the North West Company had gotten there first, and now the Company was playing catchup.
As it turned out, Turnor and Fidler were on a fool’s errand.
There was no direct river from Hudson Bay.
Lake Athabasca is fed from the west by the Athabasca River and drains north into the Mackenzie River.
The expedition, which lasted from 1790 to 1792, was a disappointment for the company but not for Fidler.
He spent those two years expanding his knowledge of surveying, mapmaking and wilderness survival.
Turnor was so impressed by his young apprentice that he suggested Fidler should succeed him.
By the end of the expedition, Fidler seemed in the prime of his life, with unlimited energy.
Another member of the expedition, Malcolm Ross, said Fidler was very fit and would be up for the challenges of being in the wilderness.
Fidler showed this ability during the winter he spent with the Chipewyan near Great Slave Lake.
Despite having little powder, provisions or even a tent, he returned in the spring to Turnor’s camp in Athabasca looking robust and healthy.
During that time Fidler became fluent in Chipewyan which would become beneficial in the future.
As soon as the expedition ended, Fidler set out on a new trip west in 1792.
It was clear to everyone that he was something special.
He was told to go to the upper reaches of the North Saskatchewan River and extend the company’s influence inland.
Fidler left Buckingham House, near present-day Lindberg, Alberta and mapped out the North Saskatchewan River traveling west to the foothills.
Along the way he met with First Nations occupying the territory until he reached the edge of Kootenay land.
They occupied the southern interior of modern-day British Columbia but often made journeys through the Rocky Mountains to trade with the Cree and Blackfoot.
Fidler became not only the first European to meet the Kootenay people, but also the first to learn their language.
It gave him an incredible advantage over his North West Company rivals who were fast on his heels.
Fidler wintered near the Rockies, then returned to York Factory in 1793.
Once again, as soon as he arrived, he was sent back out by his superiors… this time he would travel to the Seal River in search of a direct river route into Churchill.
Churchill was an important trading post for the company along Hudson Bay and the Seal River runs 250 kilometres in Northern Manitoba so there was hope there would be an easier way into the northern part of the continent.
You might remember Fort Churchill from my story on Thanadelthur and if you haven’t, yet I suggest you listen to the episode about the woman they called The Ambassador of Peace from 2023.
Fidler however was unlucky in his pursuit because there is no direct route to Churchill via the seal river and so he returned to York Factory.
Upon his return he spent the next year settling into a routine and in that time, he married a Cree woman named Mary.
You’ll remember these were known as country marriages and weren’t considered legal because they involved no formality or documents.
These marriages were often so a fur trader could marry an Indigenous woman so she could help translate them and foster exchanges.
In return the woman would see her standing and security increase.
For the most part, both the fur traders and their employers saw women in these arrangements as disposable.
Peter and Mary Fidler’s marriage would be an exception to this rule.
Aside from a new marriage, Fidler spent several months working on maps.
They were sent to the Hudson’s Bay Company’s headquarters in London, England and the board was impressed by his work.
It was suggested Fidler return to the wilderness, to map and establish forts.
A letter was sent to York Factory and Fidler was told to quote,
“proceed inland on discoveries.”
He loved being out in the wilderness and found life in forts mundane.
Upon receiving the letter, Filder was sent back into the interior.
This time to Cumberland House, then onward to Carlton House near present-day Kamsack, Saskatchewan.
He traded with the First Nations, conducted surveys and prepared for his return east.
In the spring of 1797, as soon as the snow melted and the ice on the river broke, he set out for York Factory with 19 canoes and two boats full of furs.
He received a hero’s welcome, but Fidler only had enough time to rest briefly before he returned to Cumberland House where he remained for two years.
That’s when the London bosses instructed him to go deeper into the Athabasca Country.
Because the competition between the Hudson’s Bay Company and North West Company was heating up and they needed their best man on the frontlines.
In 1799, the rivalry was intensifying.
On Aug. 5, Fidler left Cumberland House for a journey south along the Beaver River to present-day Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan.
There, he built Bolsover House and wintered near Lac La Biche.
During that time, North West Company traders continually interfered with the post by running interference with the First Nations before they ever reached Fidler’s fort.
For the next two years, Fidler tried to outcompete the North West Company and established Chesterfield House along the South Saskatchewan River.
In the summer of 1802, Fidler made a brief stop in York Factory to get supplies and new orders, before he ventured on to Lake Athabasca in September.
This time he was joined by 17 men to help establish more trading posts in the Athabasca and Peace River region of present-day northern Alberta.
Prior to leaving, he sent maps and papers to London, which helped fill in the blanks in the interior of the continent.
Meanwhile, Fidler and his men-built Nottingham House on English Island within Lake Athabasca and from there they Fidler could see the North West Company of Fort Chipewyan only one kilometre away.
The Hudson’s Bay Company had arrived far too late.
Fort Chipewyan had been around since 1790 and was considered as the Athens of the Arctic.
While Fidler and his men struggled in their tiny fort, their rivals enjoyed a comparatively luxurious existence complete with a library with 2,000 books.
For the next four years, Fidler conducted trading missions with the local Chipewyan and Cree under almost constant harassment from the competition. Their tactics were terribly petty and at times downright dangerous.
They wrecked one of Fidler’s canoes, tore up his garden, scared away game and even went so far as almost burning the entire fort down.
Fidler wrote,
“I support it was their intention to starve our people out.”
Fidler finally reached an agreement with The North West Company to provide him with 500 beaver pelts and provisions if Fidler promised to leave the Athabasca region for two years.
Neither side honoured the agreement, and it quickly fell apart.
For the First Nations of the region, it was a perfect scenario. They used the rivalry to get the maximum profit from the furs they collected.
By 1806, Fidler had enough. They left and the fort that had been home for four years slowly decayed and disappeared.
I should note Fort Chipewyan continues to exist to this day as a community of 800 people.
After his departure, Fidler was back in York Factory, despondent over his failure at Lake Athabasca.
He licked his wounds and then accepted the position of postmaster of Cumberland House.
It was exactly what Fidler needed.
While North West Company men harassed him at Lake Athabasca, at Cumberland House members of the rival company who were nothing but friendly.
Fidler was approaching his 40s but he wasn’t slowing down.
He still took short journeys and mapped much of the Lake Winnipeg and Red River area in 1808.
Those maps were sent to London where he continued to be appreciated.
After years of dedicated service, the Company honoured him with a promotion to full surveyor.
It came with a raise and his was now £100.
They also told him he would become chief trader someday which would give a share in the company.
All this came with a new assignment.
He was to go to Île-à-la-Crosse in present-day northwestern Saskatchewan.
In June 1810, Fidler did as he was told, but once again he was in the crosshairs of the North West Company.
He only lasted a year before he asked for a year off to recuperate in England, which he had not seen in decades.
By August 1812, Fidler was back at York Factory with a new assignment.
And this time he would be at the centre of one of the most influential conflicts in Canadian history.
Before we continue with Peter Fidler’s story, let me take a quick moment to talk about Thomas Douglas, the Fifth Earl of Selkirk.
He inherited his title following his father’s passing in 1799.
By then he had witnessed Scottish farmers be displaced by the Highland Clearances.
From 1750 to 1860 a significant number of tenants in the Scottish Highlands and Islands were evicted.
Selkirk had read about Alexander Mackenzie’s voyages in modern-day Manitoba through the Red River Valley and was inspired.
He contacted the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1802 and asked them if he could set up a Scottish colony in the Red River area.
They refused as it would disrupt trading. As I mentioned, competition between the Hudson’s Bay Company and North West Company intensified and at times became violent.
This inspired The Company to finally grant Selkirk 300,000 square kilometres of land in the Red River area in 1811.
They hoped that Scottish settlers would help them assert their claim over the vital territory.
It also helped that Selkirk had spent a decade buying up shares in the Hudson’s Bay Company and was now the controlling shareholder.
So it wasn’t that he was granted access.
He was essentially calling the shots and now he had control of an area five times the size of Scotland.
Selkirk agreed to provide 200 men to work for the company and promised his colony would stay out of the fur trade.
However, the land given to Selkirk was in Cree and Anishinaabe territory and neither nation was consulted on this land transfer.
60 years later those First Nations were starved by dwindling bison herds.
It was only then that the land was officially ceded to The Crown in 1871 when Treaty 1 was signed.
Selkirk settlers began to arrive in 1812, and the Hudson’s Bay Company sent their best guy Peter Fidler to the region.
If he thought the North West Company was a pain in his backside, he had no idea what he was getting into.
The North West Company hated what became the Red River Colony.
They were a direct threat to canoe and transportation routes into Western Canada.
The area was also a source of pemmican, a calorie-rich food made from berries, fat and dried meat harvested from the immense bison herds that migrated through the Red River Valley. Pemmican could last for upwards of a year and was perfect fuel for fur traders far from civilization.
No fur trading enterprise could survive without it so the North West Company men did everything they could to impede the progress of the colonists.
In the autumn of 1812 Fidler was the postmaster at Brandon House and one of his duties was to escort colonists to their new settlement.
He wintered with them and started surveying property lots along the Red River when things got violent and complicated.
In 1814, Governor Miles MacDonald, appointed by Lord Selkirk, issued the Pemmican Proclamation to stop the Metis from exporting pemmican out of the Red River area.
The decision could cripple the fur trade.
The Hudson’s Bay Company was granted an exception thanks to Lord Selkirk, but the North West Company was left without one of their most important resources.
Thus began the Pemmican which I will cover in detail in September 2025.
For the purposes of this story, you should know that from 1814 to 1821, the two companies battled.
On June 19, 1816, the Hudson’s Bay Company and North West Company fought the Battle of Seven Oaks near modern-day Winnipeg where 22 men died.
The war ended when the North West Company merged into f the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1821
Fidler was thrust into the middle of the conflict.
In June 1815, Governor Miles MacDonell resigned and Fidler became in charge of the Red River colony.
Metis leader Cuthbert Grant was leading raids against the colonists, so Fidler ordered all settlers to leave the Red River area and in July 1815, they abandoned the settlement for Jack River House.
It was short lived.
Colin Robertson, a fur trader with the Hudson’s Bay Company, immediately returned to re-establish the colony.
In the meantime, Fidler went to York Factory to meet Robert Semple, who would replace him as governor, and to escort new settlers to the Red River area.
Fidler then went to Brandon House to work on the logistics to ensure the colony’s survival amid the two warring companies.
For his part, Semple didn’t last long as Governor of the Selkirk Colony.
A year after he arrived, he was killed at the aforementioned Battle of Seven Oaks.
In September 1817, Fidler had enough.
He was almost 50 and wanted out of the Red River Colony and the Pemmican War chaos.
The company made him chief trader of Brandon House and Dauphin Lake House until mid-1821.
By then, his health was failing so the company offered him a pension.
Working for The Company was all Fidler ever knew and despite his age and health, all he wanted was to work.
Fidler believed that if he wasn’t a fur trader, he was nothing.
He could not foresee retirement in some Montreal home.
A week after he was told he had to retire, he took his wife Mary and some of their children to be baptized.
Mary and their children had never left Fidler’s side their relationship was much more than a country marriage.
Fidler deeply loved his wife and family and had no intention of abandoning them or leaving them destitute.
Wanting to ensure Mary was taken care of, he formally married her and legitimized their union. He also prepared his will for his family.
And then the Hudson’s Bay Company ordered Fidler go to Dauphin Lake House, not as a chief trader, or even a fur trader, but as a lowly clerk.
The man who had given decades of his life for The Company was now back at square one through no fault of his own.
He had literally helped the Hudson’s Bay Company establish trading posts throughout the Canadian West and now he was to be a lowly clerk.
Crushed.
His will to live left him.
Dauphin Lake House, he was listed as a servant, his health declined, and he never recovered.
On Dec. 17, 1822, only five months after his 14th child Harriet was born, Peter Fidler died at the age of 53.
He was buried in a simple coffin in the woods outside Fort Dauphin.
While The Company he gave his life to betrayed him, time gave Peter Fidler his dues.
Today, Fidler Point on Lake Athabasca is named after him, same with Peter Fidler Park in
Empress, Alberta
A monument to his legacy was erected at Fort Dauphin and of course there is the large carved statue at Elk Point, Alberta.
But there is one more part to this story and it happened a century and a half later in the swinging ‘60s.
After his death in 1822, Peter Fidler bequeathed the bulk of his estate to a fund that would accumulate interest until Aug. 16, 1969.
No one was to touch it until the 200th anniversary of his birth.
On that day, the money was to go to the male heir of his son Peter.
The fortune sat through the creation of Canada and two World Wars.
By the time humans landed on the moon, the descendants of Peter Fidler sat in anticipation with dollar signs in their eyes.
None of them knew that the fortune was long gone.
In fact, it didn’t even last ten years.
Once Mary died in 1826, their living children, pressured to have access to the fund.
The executors of the will, all officials with the Hudson’s Bay Company, agreed to release the money to Thomas, the eldest son to split the money among his siblings.
Rather than providing millions of dollars to his descendants in 1969, the 11 children of Peter Fidler were given £1,900 soon after their mother’s death.
His fortune had only grown by £400.
When Aug. 16, 1969, came along, 251 claimants hoped for a bit of the fortune.
But what they got…was nothing.
