Roderick McKenzie (1771–1859)
| Roderick McKenzie | |
|---|---|
| Roderick McKenzie Sr; Captain of the Nipigon | |
| Born | c. 1771 Parish of Assynt, Scotland |
| Died | 1859-01-02 Red River settlement, Manitoba |
| Occupation | Fur trader; chief factor |
| Partner | |
Roderick McKenzie (c. 1771 – 2 January 1859), commonly known as Roderick McKenzie Sr and among former Nor'Westers as the Captain of the Nipigon, was a Scottish-born fur trader who spent the bulk of his career with the North West Company and later the Hudson's Bay Company, most notably in the Lake Nipigon and Fort William districts of what is now northwestern Ontario.
Early life
McKenzie was born around 1771 in the parish of Assynt, Scotland. The article does not name his parents. He likely entered the fur trade as a clerk in the Timiskaming district of the North West Company during the 1790s, where records connect him to the firm of McTavish, Frobisher and Company.[1]
Career
McKenzie built his reputation as a trader in the Lake Nipigon region, where he developed lasting relationships with the Indigenous peoples of the area and became a well-regarded figure among his fellow Nor'Westers.[1]
Following the merger of the North West Company and the Hudson's Bay Company in 1821, McKenzie was assigned to the Lake Nipigon district as chief trader. In 1825 he assumed command at Fort William, at the head of Thunder Bay, where he managed competition from American traders operating across the border and worked to maintain workforce morale in the face of post-merger reductions.[1]
In 1830 he was promoted to chief factor and transferred westward, taking command of the English (upper Churchill) River district, with his headquarters at Île-à-la-Crosse, Saskatchewan. From there he made annual journeys to York Factory with the season's furs and attended meetings of the HBC's governing council.[1]
McKenzie was appointed to the Council of Assiniboia in 1839, though he displayed little enthusiasm for political duties, writing to James Hargrave that he had no intention of attending the council's sessions, as he preferred the life of the trading post to that of the legislature.[1][2]
During the 1840s, declining fur returns troubled the English River district. McKenzie attributed the decline partly to the influence of Chief Factor John Rowand's neighbouring Saskatchewan district drawing off Chipewyan hunters, and he grew uneasy about the spread of Roman Catholic missionary activity at posts such as Fort Pitt.[1] In 1845 he invited Father Jean-Baptiste Thibault to minister at Île-à-la-Crosse, a decision that initially drew a rebuke from Governor George Simpson, though McKenzie defended the invitation on the grounds that his Indigenous trading partners and his own employees had expressed a desire for religious instruction. Simpson eventually accepted the arrangement, and the district later saw service by future bishops Alexandre-Antonin Taché and Louis-François Laflèche.[1]
Despite Simpson noting as early as 1832 that McKenzie's health was "broken and worn out," and Thomas Simpson describing him in 1837 as a "well-meaning, warm-hearted but passionate and crabbed old Highlander," McKenzie resisted retirement for two more decades, anxious about his finances and reluctant to leave the country he had come to regard as home. He broke his leg in 1843 and lost much of his vision in later years, yet continued in HBC service. By 1851 his personal investments totalled some £4,724, spread across the Bank of Montreal, the Bank of British North America, the Commercial Bank of the Midland District, the Montreal and Lachine Railroad, and private loans, yielding returns of six to eight per cent.[1][3]
Personal life
Around 1803 McKenzie formed a union with Angélique, an Ojibwa woman from the Lake Nipigon area, by what was then called "the custom of the country." The couple eventually formalized their union in a Christian ceremony in 1841. Together they had twelve children: seven sons, all of whom entered HBC service — the most prominent being Samuel McKenzie, who rose to the rank of chief trader — and five daughters, four of whom married HBC employees and one of whom died unmarried.[1][4]
Unlike the majority of Scottish fur traders, McKenzie never returned to Scotland on furlough at any point during his career, a fact remarked upon by contemporaries.[1]
Retirement and death
McKenzie took a two-year leave at Fort Alexander, Manitoba, beginning around 1850, before retiring formally in 1852 to the Red River settlement — a place he described, somewhat ruefully, as "the civilized world." He settled at a home he called Caberleigh Cottage, filling it with Highland memorabilia, though his heart remained in the fur-trade country he had adopted as his own. He died there on 2 January 1859.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Elizabeth Arthur."Elizabeth Arthur, "McKENZIE, RODERICK," Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 8."[website].Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 8 (University of Toronto/Université Laval).1985.University of Toronto/Université Laval.Link.(Rights: copyrighted | Access: open)
- ↑ G. P. de T. Glazebrook."Hargrave Correspondence."[book].The Hargrave Correspondence, 1821–1843 (Champlain Society).Champlain Society.(Rights: unknown | Access: open)
- ↑ Glyndwr Williams."George Simpson's Character Book."[book].Hudson's Bay Record Society, vol. 30.pp. 151–236.Hudson's Bay Record Society.(Rights: unknown | Access: open)
- ↑ Sylvia Van Kirk."Many Tender Ties: Women in Fur-Trade Society, 1670–1870."[book].1980.(Rights: unknown | Access: open)