Peter Fidler
Peter Fidler | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 16, 1769 |
| Died | December 17, 1822 (aged 53) |
| Occupation(s) | Explorer and Map Maker |
| Spouse | Mary Fidler |
| Children | Thomas (1795), Charles (1798), George (1800), Sally (1802), Decusroggan (1824 - died at 24 days), Andrew (1806), Alban (1809), Mary (1811), Faith (1813 - died at 6 weeks), Clement (1814), Colette (1817), Margaret (1819 - died at 1 month), Peter (1820), Harriett (1822) |
| Parent(s) | James and Mary Fidler |
Peter Fidler (16 August 1769 – 17 December 1822) was a British surveyor, map-maker, chief fur trader and explorer who had a long career in the employ of the Hudson's Bay Company in what later became Canada. He was born in Bolsover, Derbyshire, England and died at Fort Dauphin in present day Manitoba. He married Mary Mackagonne, a Cree, and together they had 14 children.
Career
Fidler joined the Hudson's Bay Company as a labourer at London and took up his post at York Factory in 1788.[1] He was promoted to clerk and posted to Manchester House and South Branch House in what later became Saskatchewan within his first year. In 1790, he was transferred to Cumberland House and given training in surveying and astronomy by Philip Turnor who also trained David Thompson. On 23 December 1788, Thompson had seriously fractured his leg, forcing him to spend the next two winters at Cumberland House convalescing which gave Fidler the opportunity to accompany Turnor on an exploration expedition to the west from 1790 to 1792 attempting to find a route to Lake Athabaska and Great Slave Lake and therefore a route to the Pacific Ocean. Although the river route to the west his employer sought was found not to exist, on this and following expeditions Fidler gathered data for the first of several maps that he produced. Information he gathered was incorporated into the maps of North America produced by Aaron Arrowsmith.[2] : 229
During his years with the company, Fidler established Carlton House in 1795 (near present day Kamsack, Saskatchewan) and Chesterfield House in 1800. He was in charge of Cumberland House from 1796. In 1797, he established Bolsover House (near Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan) and Greenwich House at Lac la Biche. In 1806, after two years of harassment by Samuel Black of the rival North West Company, Fidler surrendered Nottingham House on Lake Athabasca and fled the post with his men.
Recognition
Fidler Point on Lake Athabasca is named for Fidler.[3] There is a large carved monument to Fidler at Elk Point, Alberta and a monument to his legacy at Fort Dauphin created by the Manitoba Land Surveyors.[4]
Sources
- The Alberta Online Encyclopedia: Peter Fidler
- Manitoba Historical Society, Peter Fidler (1769-1822)
- Manitoba Historical Society, Peter Fidler (1769-1822)
- Manitoba Historical Society, The Sacking of Peter Fidler’s Brandon House, 1816
- Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
- Hudson's Bay Company, Record of Employment, Peter Fidler
- Peak Finder: Peter Fidler
- The Great Canadian Rivers
- The Canadian Encyclopedia: Peter Fidler
- The Well-Dressed Explorer, By J. Gottfred.
- Encyclopedia of the Great Plains
References
- ^ MacGregor, James G. (1998), Peter Fidler, Canada's Forgotten Explorer 1769-1822 (3rd ed.), Calgary: Fifth House, ISBN 1-894004-19-1
- ^ Wishart, David J. (2004), Encyclopedia of the Great Plains (3rd ed.), Lincoln, Nebraska: U of Nebraska Press, ISBN 0803247877
- ^ Alberta Land Surveyors' Association, Alberta's Land Surveying History, retrieved 2008-05-19
- ^ Association of Manitoba Land Surveyors, Peter Fidler Commemorative Monument, retrieved 2008-05-19
External links
- Maps of Peter Fidler at SFU
- Peter Fidler and his Metis Descendants (PeterFidler.com)
- Uncharted Surveyor: The Peter Fidler Story. An educational film.
- Peter Fidler - The Forgotten Geographer
- Peter Fidler's Birthplace
- Peter Fidler, Manitoba's Master Surveyor by George Siamandas
- Alberta's Land Surveying History: Peter Fidler
- Manitoba Agricultural Hall of Fame: Peter Fidler