Westbank Fur Brigade Cairn

The first brigade cairn was unveiled in Westbank in 1949. It read: “Okanagan Brigade Trail—A link in the fur-trading route from New Caledonia (North Central British Columbia) to the Columbia River. First explored by the Astorians in 1811, the trail was used by the North West Company and from 1821 by the Hudson’s Bay Company. The fur brigades from New Caledonia journeyed overland by this route from Kamloops to Fort Okanagan until 1848. The gold seekers of 1858 coming through the Okanagan Valley followed the old trail, which also in the early 1860’s became a second road to Cariboo.”

The original cairn and plaque were subsequently replaced with inscriptions in English, French and Sylix. The English inscription reads: “This historic trail was developed from a network of travel and trade routes used by Aboriginal people for centuries. David Stuart of the Pacific Fur Company explored the trail from Fort Okanogan to Kamloops in 1811, and it was used in turn by fur brigades of the North West Company and the Hudson’s Bay Company. Until the mid-century, fur traders passed by here to exchange goods for furs with the Okanagan and Shuswap Nations and others further north. Surviving sections of the trail along Lake Okanagan are a testimony to these former trading partnerships and the rich heritage of the region.” | Sharron Simpson Collection