Overland from Canada to British Columbia / by Thomas McMicking ; edited by Joanne Leduc ; with illustrations by William G.R. Hind.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

McMicking, Thomas, 1829-1866.

Contributor:

Leduc, Joanne, 1943-

Series:

Recollections of the pioneers of British Columbia ; 4th v.

Recollections of the pioneers of British Columbia ; 4th v

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

McMicking, Thomas, 1829-1866.

McMicking, Thomas.

Overland journeys to the Pacific.

Canada, Western--Description and travel.

Canada, Western.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xxxii, 121 pages, 12 unnumbered pages of plates) : illustrations (some color), maps

Place of Publication:

Vancouver : University of British Columbia Press, c1981.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Spurred on by reports of gold in the Cariboo, adventurers from all over the world descended on British Columbia in the mid-1800s. Among them were ambitious easterners who accepted the challenge of the shorter but more arduous overland route across the prairies and the Rockies. One such man determined to find his fortune in the West was Thomas McMicking -- destined to lead the largest and best organized group of 'Overlanders' into British Columbia. His record of their epic journey is a valuable historical document that possesses the universal appeal of an adventure story. McMicking presents a vivid image of the hardships of the overland route, the dangers, both real and imagined -- like the apparently threatening Plains Indians who turned out to be 'our best friends' -- facts about important officials and settlements, and scientific observations of the physical environment. But this is also a very human document that describes a journey of self- discovery revealing a sensitive man's encounter with a bountiful and beautiful yet hostile and alien land. The journal is augmented by a valuable introduction, appendices on the Overlanders' trail and the McMicking family, and biographical sketches of many of the men who later played prominent roles in British Columbia's development and whose descendants became some of the province's best-known leaders and families. It is also enriched by the pictorial records of William Hind, a major Canadian painter who became known as the 'expedition artist.' Drawing on much previously unavailable material as well as on traditional sources, the editor has created a comprehensive historical framework for this unique document.

Contents:

Front Matter

Contents

Illustrations

Credits

Acknowledgements

Introduction

William G.R. Hind: The "Expedition Artist"

A Note on the Text

To the Editor of the British Columbian

A Note on the McMicking Family

A Note on the Trail

Notes to the Introduction

Notes to William G.R. Hind

Notes to the Text

Selected Bibliography

Index

The Pioneers of British Columbia

Notes:

Includes index.

First published in installments in the British Columbian, 1862-1863.

Includes bibliography: p. [113]-114.

ISBN:

9786613225580

0-7748-5424-3

1-283-22558-1

OCLC:

243568267