Fort Kamloops

In 1812 David Stuart, who had traversed this region the year before, built the first post here for Astor’s Pacific Fur Company. The North West Company, which had also built here in 1812, bought out the Astorians in 1813, and in 1821 the post passed to the Hudson’s Bay Company. Although it was commercially insignificant, Kamloops was important because it lay astride the brigade route from the Columbia Department to New Caledonia and because its rich grasslands enabled the company to raise packhorses here. As provincial roads improved the post became superfluous, and by 1885 had been abandoned.

David Stuart construisit ici en 1812 le premier poste de la Pacific Fur Company. La Compagnie du Nord-Ouest, qui s’était établit au même endroit en 1812, acheta l’année suivante le poste qui devint la priopriété de la Compagnie de la Baie d’Hudson. Le poste de la rivière Thompson ne fut jamais une entreprise lucrative, mais il avait l’avantage de chevaucher la route de la brigade qui menait du département de Columbia à New Caledonia. La Compagnie conserva Kamloops pour l’élevage des bêtes de somme. L’orsque les routes provinciales furent améliorées, ce ranch devint inutile et on abandonna le poste vers 1885.