INCIDENT AT THE Mountain House MOUNTAIN HOUSE
By-  PAT MC DONALD

It was dark. Alexander Henry could hear the power of the river as it passed the the Mountain House fort. He hoped that Thompson would soon be successful in his attempt through the Athabaska from the North Fork. Henry stared down from the rampart of the old North West Company fort built in 1799 and pondered of the events of the past few days.
 

The year 1810 had not been a good year. The Blackfoot, and in particular the Peigan, were once more on the warpath defying anyone to attempt to cross the mountains. An old Cree elder had warned Henry that several Blackfoot had camped just a few miles upstream and they looked very much like a war party. It would not be the first time that massacres had occurred around the forts. David Thompson and his voyageurs were at the top of their list. Thompson had defied the warnings of the Blackfoot Confederacy before and had sent men and supplies through the mountain passes to not only trade with their enemy the Kootenai, but had established trading posts on the other side of the passes.
 

Just a few days earlier Alexander Henry , in charge of the North West Company fort at the " Mountain House", had arrived in the vicinity of the forts. His party had come out of a thick wood into a small plain where the well known 'Big Stone" lie. Henry knew then that they were nearing the old fur trade post..They immediately found the well worn old Indian trail that led directly to the confluence and the fort. Heading southwest the little party soon reached the Clearwater River. Henry almost fell in here thinking the water shallow.
 

Upon coming in sight of the fort Henry and his men were surprised to see some people standing at the gate, and smoke arising from within the stockade. Their surprise increased when they saw that they were whites and Indians. Being across the river and unable to cross in this vicinity, because of the swift current, Henry travelled about a quarter of a mile above the rapids then crossed over and travelled back down to their fort. The whites were members of Thompson's Columbia brigade who had no idea where Thompson was.
 

They explained that they had been stopped by the Peigan upriver and sent back as these members of the Blackfoot confederacy were very determined not to let any one pass. Thompson had not been seen for three weeks himself. The Peigan had followed the brigade all the way back to the fort and had continually kept the canoes under close watch.

On October 5^th the Peigan Chief , Le Borgne, came with three others , bringing fresh beaver. An Iroquois, one of the fort's hunters, came in with a red deer. Henry had given the Peigan rum and they had soon fallen fast asleep.
 

Henry still did not know whether Thompson was above or below the fort.
 
 
 

On October 6, the Peigan set off early. Later in the morning two Bloods and three more Peigan arrived with beaver. Henry had major concerns for the Columbia Brigade however. He knew they would be under close watch by the Peigan. The trick was going to be how to slip them past the noses of the Hudson's Bay men and the Peigan. Henry was very shrewd. He knew that they were being watched across the river.
 

He thought long and hard into the night. There must be a way out of this mess. Henry had been told by the Peigan chief that his warriors were camped about a days ride upriver and it would be foolhardy to attempt any passage.
 

The next day the Peigan left and Henry could not wait any longer. He planned to send the canoe brigade off that night in the darkness. He silently prayed that he could pull it off. If not, it could mean, not only the end of Thompson ,but do irreparable damage to the Company. No sooner had the canoes left when a few hours later Black Bear, a Peigan chief, arrived informing Henry that he had stopped the canoes and warned once more that it was not healthy to continue the trip upstream towards the mountains.
 

Henry was immediately thrown into giving an acceptable explanation to this chief who appeared to be one who did not like to be lied to. Nevertheless the canoe brigade stayed for two more days at the spot upstream where they were discovered and, although not seeing any Peigan, knew and felt their presence.Their tracks were everywhere each morning around the camp. Finally they returned once more down river to the fort. Henry gave Black Bear a large keg of rum for his party and they returned to their camp on the Saskatchewan River across from the fort.
 

Henry knew the Peigan were in a very dark mood. A few days ago when his men were stripping off the rotting bark from the houses in the fort that had been left unattended for a considerable time, his men had discovered that the Peigan had uncovered the remains of two Cree buried near the fort some years past.The Peigan had disrupted and dispersed the bones and left the graves open.This was not a good omen.
 

Henry had to come up with a plan to get the canoes on the move again towards Thompson. It had to be at night but, right at this moment, Henry thought that it would be impossible. There was too much activity with the arrival of Indians to trade. About sunset another band of Peigan warriors arrived, the same Peigan that had been watching the Columbia Brigade upriver near the mountains.One of the horses in their possession belonged to Thompson. Henry was convinced now that Thompson was upriver avoiding the war party.The Indians said they had found the horse three days ago on the river although it was common practice to steal any horses that they could get their hands on.
 

The Peigan also mentioned that they had seen the camp and tracks of a party of whites but could not track the party due to a heavy snowfall that obliterated the tracks. This made some sense to Henry and he was sure Thompson must be somewhere on the Plains.Being anxious to get the canoes off Henry thought long and hard.

It seemed at the moment impossible to do anything with the suspicious Peigan at the fort and now watching every move.Henry told the Peigan, through an interpreter, that the party they had tracked upriver was a group of free traders and not Thompson.
 

On October 8^th , eight mounted young Peigan arrived at the fort complicating matters for Henry. They were in to trade. The Peigan camp was across the river and as such Henry was not in a mood to dally as his prime purpose was to get those canoes on the way back to Thompson.
 

On October 10^th the coast finally seemed clear . The Peigan had left. Henry proposed to the Columbia Brigade that they prepare to leave but they refused unless Henry accompanied them. Henry, taken back by the sudden demand, refused. He thought that having told so many lies to the Peigan about the location of Thompson, that if he were ever found upstream with the brigade it would prove disastrous to the Company not to mention his own well being.
 

It was finally agreed that Bethune, an assistant, would accompany the canoes and Henry would stay behind at the fort.This itself would be a struggle as Henry did not understand the language of the Peigan and, without an interpreter now, knew only a little Cree, the language used by the traders.

At three o'clock in the afternoon all was made ready for the trip .The canoes were put into the water below the fort and the baggage was taken down to the river , ready to embark in the darkness.The trade goods were left in the fort for the time being until dark. All was in readiness.
 

This now done Henry had relaxed for only a moment when one of his men shouted that a long string of horses was on the beach below coming up towards the fort! Henry had to think hard and fast.His only resource was to put the baggage into the canoes and send all four canoes down river in an attempt to fool the Peigan. He also gave instructions to the canoe brigade to return upriver about midnight unseen using the tow line. If any Indians arrived at the fort, Henry planned to keep them drunk until the goods were taken upriver past the fort and the rapids.
 

So down the river they went, while the horsemen stood gazing at them from the other side surprised to find that the canoes had reached this place so soon! As it turned out, the horsemen were none other than Hudson's Bay men coming upriver to winter next to Henry and the Northwest Company fort.
 

The new group of traders crossed over and had scarcely settled in when more Indians, a Sarcee and three Bloods arrived to trade . The Bloods were camped, along with four others, near the entrance to theClearwater River.
 

This was a sad state of affairs. It appeared to Henry that it would now be an impossible task for the canoe brigade to return at night from under the very noses of all these new arrivals. Henry gave the Bloods a gallon of high wine and they returned to their tents.He immediately sent a man down river to tell the canoes of this new circumstance and with orders not to attempt to return to the fort unless they were absolutely sure it was safe to do so and they could pass by undetected. Henry waited and prayed.
 

About 11 o'clock Henry could see the canoes coming back up the river under cover of darkness.They were pulling the canoes along using the tow ropes.The night was clear. They passed undetected although the Hudson's Bay tents were near the river, and they had a number of dogs. They manoeuvred slowly and in silence and finally seemed out of danger of being detected.
 

The canoes had scarcely rounded the bend when loud singing was heard. It was the Bloods and they were coming up along the shore . The Indians soon reached the Mountain House and, knocking at the gates, demanded more liquor. Henry did not let them enter as this could have foiled all his plans.
 

At 11 p.m. Henry could still see the canoe men lurking in the a distance, still not daring to approach for fear of being discovered. Henry had only one option. He opened the gates and allowed the Bloods into the fort. He gave them each a good dram and put them fast to sleep in his tent.
 

Now no time could be lost.At midnight Henry called to the men, who were now concealed below the bank, and they each were hastily loaded with two pieces and sent off through the woods to the other canoes , about a mile above us.
 

The next day Henry busied himself trading with more Bloods who had arrived. Henry was pleased with the events of the early morning until his cousin William Henry arrived from down river. He was astonished to hear that his cousin had left David Thompson down river near the North Branch waiting for his canoes, which of course, after much stealth Henry had just sent upriver.
 

William Henry related that Thompson had indeed run into the four tents of Peigan on the Plains and Thompson knew now for sure that he was being watched closely. Thompson surmised that the canoes he was expecting had been stopped below. He gave orders to have the horses taken down river and to follow him to the North Branch by an overland interior route.
 

So Thompson was now downstream about 40 miles and his canoes were upstream. Henry immediately sent orders to stop the canoes until further orders from Thompson.
 

Alexander Henry himself went now in search of Thompson. He embarked in a light canoe. The wind was howling, pushing them back so they embarked at Baptiste's River to gum the canoes that were taking on some water. At noon they embarked once more and at 4 p.m. reached Mr. Thompson's camp. He had been waiting for his canoes and the horses. It was Thompson's intention now to open a new route to the Columbia by way of the Athabaska, a route that should be safe from Peigan interference.
 

It was determined that the canoes should now reverse their direction and come back down river to Thompson's location. At 7a.m. Henry was on horseback and bade Mr. Thompson farewell.At noon they met a group of Hudson Bay people with horses going down to meet their boats with a view to lighten them. At 1 p.m. Henry arrived at the fort and immediately sent messengers upriver to the waiting canoes to return down river and return to Thompson.
 

Now it was necessary for Henry to disguise the fact that the canoes had been upriver and loaded with trade goods. To make matters worse, the Peigan had arrived to trade , so Henry planned once more to hide the Columbia Brigade's presence from both the Indians and the Hudson's Bay people. The Canoes soon returned under cover of darkness and passing through the rapids took on board the rest of the cargoes that had been left behind. The night was very dark, with a little rain, and very favourable to the undertaking.
 

As the Peigan were now roaring drunk, the canoes got away once more unperceived, and William Henry went with them. Alexander Henry heaved a sigh of relief, finally getting clear of these canoes, that had caused him so much trouble and anxiety since his arrival at the fort a few days ago.
 
 

"The Canoes soon returned under cover of darkness"

*This photo was taken at the confluence at probably the exact location the Columbia Brigade would have passed by the Peigan.