Cumberland House

History

From its foundation in 1774, Cumberland House was one of the most important fur trade depots in Canada. To the east, the Saskatchewan River led to Lake Winnipeg and on to Montreal or Hudson Bay. To the west, the river led to the Rocky Mountains and a pass to Oregon Country. To the north, the Sturgeon-Weir River led to the Churchill River, which led to the Methye Portage and the rich Athabasca Country to the northwest. During the construction of Cumberland House, the traders were challenged by the inland location and their unfamiliarity with crafting canoes. During the completion of the community's construction, the traders had developed the required proficiency to travel. Cumberland House was used as a depot for eastbound furs and westbound trade goods. It was also a depot for pemmican used to feed the voyageurs on their long journey to Lake Athabasca. Since it was in the forest belt, pemmican was brought downriver from the prairies or upriver from Lake Winnipeg. It was about 40 days' paddling time from the Hudson's Bay Company base at York Factory but nearly five months' journey from their competitor's base at Montreal. Cumberland House was located on a strip of land between the Saskatchewan to the south and Cumberland Lake to the north. The lake drained into the river a mile or so to the west. Today, the strip is wider because of changes in the lake level. As in much of Canada, the first European visitors were probably coureurs des bois, who left no records. The first European known to have passed the site was Louis-Joseph Gaultier de La Vérendrye, in the spring of 1749. A private fur trader, Joseph Frobisher, set up a temporary post on Cumberland Lake in 1772. Samuel Hearne established the permanent HBC post in 1774. It is sometimes said to be the first…