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John Work of the Hudson's Bay Company - Leader of the California Brigade of 1832-33 (June 1943) (16 pages)
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Page: of 16
John Work of the Hudson’s Bay Company 103
home with what furs he had collected. LaFramboise had left the party in
June when the combined brigades were encamped on Eel River, as he was
already overdue at Fort Vancouver. The journey northward of Work’s
brigade was fraught with peril because of the weakened condition of the
members of the company. Only the fact that the
In the main, Work retraced his trail until he reached the confluence of
Hat Creek and Pit River. From that point he took another well-used road
across the headwaters of McCloud River, passing to the northeast of Mount
Shasta to reach an old campsite at Sheep Rock in what is now Siskiyou
County. The trail from Sheep Rock led almost directly north to the Klamath
River, which Work called the “Sorty” or “Sarty.”
The illness with which the members of Work’s party were afflicted abated
somewhat when the mountains were reached, nevertheless those who were
convalescent had become so weakened by their sufferings that travel was
very slow. Mountains, however, were climbed and rivers crossed, and the
borders of Oregon were attained at last. Here help arrived in the person of
LaFramboise, sent out from headquarters to search for Work’s long overdue
brigade. The food and letters brought by LaFramboise renewed the spirits
of the men, and the party struggled on over familiar trails to reach Fort Vancouver on October 31, 1833.
John Work returned from California a very ill man, and for some time he
remained with his family at Fort Vancouver to avail himself of the services
of Dr. Meredith Gairdner, a London physician, who had reached the Columbia during his absence. With Dr. Gairdner had come Dr. William Fraser
Tolmie who was soon stationed at Fort Nisqually on Puget Sound where he
subsequently became factor. Dr. Tolmie was later to become Work’s sonin-law. During the time John and Josette were at Fort Vancouver a fourth
daughter was born. She was named Margaret for the wife of Chief Factor
John McLoughlin. After Work’s partial recovery he was placed in charge of
shipping on the Columbia River, which position he held for about three
years before he was assigned to the command of Fort Simpson on the Northwest coast. There the Work family resided until 1849.
Glimpses of John Work are obtained from John Tod’s chatty letters, particularly when the changes and chances of the fur trade gave opportunity
for brief reunions. From Cowlitz Plain, in February of 1840, Tod wrote to
Edward Ermatinger:
Friend Work on his way to Vanc’r last fall was induced to remain here with me two
nights during which many a phillipic was held forth on the privations of the Service and
this “Cursed Country,” but he is as far as ever from coming to any determination about
quitting it. You would scarcely know him he is quite bald and altogether has really an
old appearance, in short he goes under the name here of “Old Gentleman”.”
Back in New Caledonia in the upper Columbia region, in 1842, Tod wrote
on March 18 to Ermatinger:
Work from whom I had a letter lately is indeed a queer looking old chap—of his hair
there remains but three small elf locks which protrude, far between over his Coat neck
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