Thomas McKay (fur trader)
Thomas McKay | |
---|---|
Born | c. 1796 |
Died | November 1849 – April 1850 (aged 50–52) French Prairie, Oregon |
Resting place | Scappoose, Oregon |
Nationality | Canadian/American |
Occupation(s) | Fur trader, trapper, explorer, guide |
Spouses |
|
Children | 8, including William Cameron McKay and Donald McKay |
Parent(s) | Alexander MacKay, Marguerite Waddens/Wadin |
Relatives | Jean-Étienne Waddens (maternal grandfather) |
Thomas McKay (c. 1796–1849) was an
Family
Thomas was born in about 1796 at Sault Ste. Marie, Upper Canada[1] (possibly 1797 or 1798).[2]
His father was the fur trader
Wives and children
Thomas McKay had at least three wives during his life. His first wife was Timmee T'Ikul Tchinouk, a
McKay's second wife was She-Who-Rides-Like The Wind Umatilla, a
At Fort Vancouver, on December 31, 1838, he married his third wife, Isabelle Montour, daughter of Nicholas Montour, Jr. and Susanne Humpherville. Their children were Maria McKay and Thomas McKay II.[6]
Altogether, McKay had six sons and two daughters.[6][8]
Pacific Fur Company
In 1811, Thomas McKay accompanied his father on the
North West Company
Thomas McKay joined the North West Company after the failure of the Pacific Fur Company in 1813. Between 1815 and 1819 Thomas was in the
Hudson's Bay Company
After the North West Company was merged with the Hudson's Bay Company in 1821 Thomas McKay became an HBC employee, despite having fought the company in the Red River Colony war.[9] In 1824 Chief Factor John McLoughlin was appointed superintendent of the Columbia Department. He and his family moved that year to Fort George (Astoria) and then, once it was built, Fort Vancouver, the new headquarters of the HBC Columbia Department. In 1811 McLoughlin had married Marguerite Wadin, widow of Alexander MacKay and mother of Thomas McKay. Thus in 1824 Thomas's mother and stepfather moved across the continent to the very place Thomas was living.[4]
In the 1820s the HBC sent trading, trapping, and exploring parties south into the Willamette Valley and beyond, eventually reaching California (Mexican Alta California at the time). In 1825 Thomas McKay and Finan McDonald led one of these exploring expeditions south of the Columbia River.[10] He led or accompanied several others.
From 1826 to 1828 McKay took part repeatedly in the
In 1828, McKay was in the party sent from Fort Vancouver to retrieve furs and property Indians took from Jedediah Smith on the Umpqua River in southern Oregon.
In 1829, Thomas McKay took part in Alexander McLeod's expedition to California.[9] McLeod's party reached as far south as the San Joaquin River and was the first of what became an annual trapping expedition to California, known as the Southern Party. The route from Fort Vancouver to the lower Sacramento River became known as the Siskiyou Trail.[10]
In 1836, McKay led a HBC Southern Party brigade to the Pit River region of California.[10] In 1840-41 McKay and Michel Laframboise were brigade leaders of the Southern Party to California.[10]
In 1832, McKay was given charge of an HBC farm at Scappoose. Within a year he had moved to and settled at Champoeg.[9] He may have retired from the HBC at this time, although he continued to work for the company off and on for many years.[8]
McKay lead a brigade to the Snake Country in 1834, reaching into the far southeast of today's state of
In 1834, McKay met the American missionary
Thomas McKay remained active in the Snake Country until 1838. He spent most of 1839 at Champoeg.[9]
Later life
Thomas McKay spent most of his later years between his farms at Champoeg and Scappoose.[1] At some point he became a United States citizen.[2]
In 1840, he drove more than 3,600 sheep and 661 cattle from California to Fort Nisqually for the HBC.[9]
In 1841, members of the overland party of the Wilkes Expedition met and breakfasted with McKay at his Champoeg farm. George Colvocoresses of the expedition wrote about McKay, saying that he is "one of the most noted individuals in this part of the country. Among the trappers, he is the hero of many a tale."[9]
McKay raised and led a company of militia which saw active service during the Cayuse War of 1848.[2]
In September 1848, he guided a train of 50 wagons to California.[9]
He died sometime between November 1849 and April 1850, and is buried in an unmarked grave in Scappoose.[11]
References
- ^ a b Emigrants to Oregon Prior To 1839, Oregon Prior to 1839
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7812-6454-9. online at Google Books
- ISBN 978-0-300-07835-0. online at Google Books
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8032-7210-1. online at Google Books
- ISBN 978-0-7748-0251-2. online at Google Books
- ^ a b c d e Olsen, Sarah; Kracke, Linda. "Descendants of Alexander McKay". www.museum.bmi.net. Archived from the original on 2016-10-07.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Morrison, Jean. "MacKAY, ALEXANDER". Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 5. University of Toronto/Université Laval.
- ^ a b c Dr. John McLoughlin, A Place Called Oregon
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8032-1236-7. online at Google Books
- ^ ISBN 0-7748-0613-3. online at Google Books
- ^ Bird, Annie Laurie (March 1939). The Will of Thomas McKay (40 ed.). Oregon Historical Quarterly. pp. 17–18.