Samuel Hearne

Born in England, Hearne was employed by the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1766. Five years later he began the remarkable journey that took him to the mouth of the Coppermine River. In 1774 he established Cumberland House, the first major inland post of the Company and in 1776 became Governor of Fort Prince of Wales. When, in 1782, that fort was captured by La Pérousse, he was taken prisoner to France. Soon released, he returned in 1783 to re-establish a post at Churchill where he remained until 1787. He spent his final years in England preparing the text of A Journey…to the Northern Ocean.

Né en Angleterre, Hearne entra au service de la Compagnie de la Baie d’Hudson en 1766. Cinq ans plus tard, il entreprit le remarquable voyage qui le conduisit jusqu’à l’embouchure de la rivière Coppermine. En 1774, il fonda Cumberland House, principal poste intérieur de la compagnie et, en 1776, devint gouverneur du fort Prince-de-Galles. Quand La Pérousse captura le fort en 1782, il amena Hearne prisonnier en France. Remis en liberté peu après, il rétablit, en 1783, un poste Churchill où il demeura jusqu’en 1787. Il consacra ses dernières années, en Angleterre, à la rédaction de A Journey…to the Northern Ocean.