Robert McVicar (c. 1799–1864)
| Robert McVicar | |
|---|---|
| MacVicar; McVicker | |
| Born | c. 1799 Bowmore, Isle of Islay, Scotland |
| Died | 1864 Thunder Bay (The Station), Canada West |
| Occupation | HBC chief trader; land agent; postmaster; inspector of clergy reserves; author |
| Partner | |
Robert McVicar (born before 1799 at Bowmore, Isle of Islay, Scotland – died April 1864 at The Station, Thunder Bay, Canada West), also known as MacVicar and McVicker, was a fur trader and chief trader with the Hudson's Bay Company who spent more than three decades in the Canadian interior before retiring to Lower Canada and eventually settling near Fort William in his final years.
Early fur trade career
McVicar entered the employ of the Hudson's Bay Company as a clerk at York Factory in 1812, remaining there until 1814. He subsequently spent approximately fourteen years working in the w:Saskatchewan and Athabasca Country regions during the intensely competitive period of rivalry between the HBC and the North West Company. By 1815 he was stationed at Île-à-la-Crosse. During this period he became known as a combative figure; he clashed twice with Simon McGillivray (the Métis son of William McGillivray) and was briefly imprisoned by North West Company men at Fort Chipewyan.[1]
Following the amalgamation of the two companies in 1821, McVicar was appointed chief trader. He had earlier commanded Fort Resolution on Great Slave Lake from 1819 to 1823. In that capacity he provided assistance to John Franklin's first Arctic land expedition (1819–22), and he subsequently supported Franklin's second overland expedition (1825–27) as well.[1]
Marriage and transfer
McVicar married Christina McBeath, a daughter of Lord Selkirk settlers, probably in May 1827 at Fort Chipewyan. The ceremony was performed by John Franklin acting in a judicial capacity. The couple had two sons and two daughters.[1]
Later in 1827 McVicar transferred to the Montreal Department and was assigned to the Saint-Maurice District. He retired from the HBC in 1830.[1]
Later life in Lower Canada
After retiring, McVicar settled in the Lac-des-Deux-Montagnes region of Lower Canada, where he farmed and built a residence he called Silver Heights. He became involved in local affairs and took part in the volunteer forces that suppressed the rebellions of 1837–38.[1]
Financial difficulties prompted McVicar to seek Crown appointments. He served as inspector of clergy reserves in the Western District from 1844, a post that paid fifteen shillings per day for approximately two years. He also worked as a land agent and postmaster, and in 1853 he published a pamphlet advocating emigration from the British Isles to Canada.[2]
Thunder Bay
Around 1859–1860 McVicar obtained an appointment as land agent and postmaster in the Lake Superior region and moved to clear land near Fort William, in what would become the Thunder Bay District of Canada West. He died there in April 1864, before a further appointment he had been seeking was resolved.[1]
McVicar Creek, the waterway flowing through what is now Port Arthur, and McVicar Bay on Great Bear Lake both bear his name.[1]
References
[1] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Elizabeth Arthur."Elizabeth Arthur, "McVicar, Robert," Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 9."[website].Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 9 (University of Toronto/Université Laval).1976.University of Toronto/Université Laval.Link.(Rights: copyrighted | Access: open)
- ↑ Robert McVicar."Letters on emigration from the British Isles, and the settlement of the waste lands in the Province of Canada."[book].1853.Hamilton, Ont., pp. 1–116.(Rights: unknown | Access: open)
- ↑ "HBC Archives, B.39/a, 1816–17."[record].B.39/a, 1816–17.Hudson's Bay Company Archives.(Rights: unknown | Access: open)
- ↑ "HBC Archives, B.39/z."[record].B.39/z, 11 Dec. 1817, 26 May 1818.Hudson's Bay Company Archives.(Rights: unknown | Access: open)
- ↑ "HBC Archives, B.89/a, 1815–16."[record].B.89/a, 1815–16.Hudson's Bay Company Archives.(Rights: unknown | Access: open)
- ↑ "HBC Archives, B.181/a, 1819–21, 1824–25."[record].B.181/a, 1819–21, 1824–25.Hudson's Bay Company Archives.(Rights: unknown | Access: open)
- ↑ G. P. de T. Glazebrook (ed.)."The Hargrave Correspondence."[book].The Champlain Society.(Rights: unknown | Access: open)
- ↑ E. E. Rich (ed.)."HBRS, vol. I."[book].Hudson's Bay Record Society series, vol. I.Hudson's Bay Record Society.(Rights: unknown | Access: open)
- ↑ E. E. Rich and A. M. Fleming (eds.)."HBRS, vol. II."[book].Hudson's Bay Record Society series, vol. II.Hudson's Bay Record Society.(Rights: unknown | Access: open)