Donald McTavish
| Donald McTavish | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1771 Strath Errick, Scotland |
| Died | 1814-05-22 Mouth of the Columbia River |
| Occupation | Fur trader |
| Father | |
Donald McTavish (c. 1771 – 22 May 1814) was a Scottish-born fur trader who spent more than two decades in the service of the North West Company and died in command of the company's expedition to the Columbia River.
Early life and entry into the fur trade
McTavish was born around 1771 in Strath Errick, Scotland, the son of Alexander McTavish. He was a first cousin of Simon McTavish, the North West Company's foremost director, and it was through this family connection that he entered the fur trade as an apprentice clerk around 1790.[1]
Career in the pays d'en haut
McTavish spent roughly 18 years in the Upper English River department, the region centred on the upper Churchill River basin. Before 1795 he was stationed on the Beaver River, where he most likely established the Lac Vert post at present-day Green Lake, Saskatchewan.[1] David Thompson encountered him there in 1797.[2]
McTavish was elevated to partnership by at least 1799, when he appeared as a proprietor in the Upper English River department alongside Angus Shaw.[1] Following the NWC's 1804 annual meeting at Kaministiquia (present-day Thunder Bay, Ontario), he rotated to Montreal. He was reassigned to the English River department in 1806, and at the 1808 Fort William meeting he was among five wintering partners asked to propose remedies for the company's financial difficulties.[1] He then took charge of Fort Dunvegan on the Peace River in place of Archibald Norman McLeod, making annual journeys to Fort William until 1811.[1]
Columbia River expedition
In the summer of 1811 the NWC resolved to mount a maritime trading venture from England and China to the Northwest Coast of America, with McTavish in command.[1] He travelled to Britain that winter, purchased a Scottish estate for his retirement, and worked in London with William McGillivray to organize the expedition. He may have been an original member of the Canada Club, established in 1810 to advance Canadian commercial interests with the British government.[3]
The ship Isaac Todd, commanded by Captain Fraser Smith, departed Portsmouth on 25 March 1813.[1] Most NWC voyageurs and clerks were temporarily pressed into the Royal Navy before departure, a development McTavish attributed to John McDonald of Garth, his second-in-command. McDonald transferred to a convoy vessel at Rio de Janeiro, while McTavish continued on the Isaac Todd for the remainder of the thirteen-month voyage, accompanied by Jane Barnes, a Portsmouth barmaid he had persuaded to join the expedition.[1] The passage proved difficult and the crew reportedly came to hold McTavish in strong dislike.[4]
The Isaac Todd reached the Columbia on 23 April 1814.[1] By then the post of Astoria had already been acquired overland by a Nor'Wester party on 16 October 1813 and formally taken possession of as Fort George by HMS Racoon on 13 December. McTavish assumed command of a post in considerable disorder. He gained a reputation for cultivating alliances with surrounding Indigenous nations, paying careful attention to visiting chiefs and managing a murder case in consultation with Indigenous leaders to the satisfaction of all parties.[1] His relationship with Jane Barnes became a distraction when her attentions shifted to Alexander Henry (the younger).[5]
Death
On 22 May 1814, McTavish and Alexander Henry drowned when their small boat overturned while travelling out to the Isaac Todd.[1] Some of their colleagues later blamed Captain Smith for the accident. McTavish's body was recovered and buried near Fort George; his gravestone recorded his age as 42. In November 1814, before news of his death reached Montreal, McTavish, McGillivrays and Company — principal shareholders in the NWC — had nominated him to serve as a company agent.[1]
He was eulogized in the Quebec Gazette for his "enterprising genius," and Ross Cox remembered him as a man of bold and decided character who judged others on their merits rather than their backgrounds.[6][4]
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 Jean Morrison."Jean Morrison, "McTAVISH, DONALD," Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 5."[website].Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 5 (University of Toronto/Université Laval).1983.University of Toronto/Université Laval.Link.(Rights: copyrighted | Access: open)
- ↑ David Thompson."David Thompson's narrative of his explorations in western America."[book].David Thompson's narrative of his explorations in western America, ed. J. B. Tyrrell.1916.Toronto.(Rights: unknown | Access: open)
- ↑ J. G. Colmer."The Canada Club (London)."[book].1934.p. 7.London, Ont..(Rights: unknown | Access: open)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Ross Cox."The Columbia River; or scenes and adventures during a residence of six years on the western side of the Rocky Mountains."[book].The Columbia River, ed. E. I. and J. R. Stewart.1957.Norman, Oklahoma.(Rights: unknown | Access: open)
- ↑ Alexander Ross."The fur hunters of the far west."[book].The fur hunters of the far west, ed. K. A. Spaulding.1956.Norman, Oklahoma.(Rights: unknown | Access: open)
- ↑ "Quebec Gazette."[newspaper].1814-12-14.(Rights: unknown | Access: open)