1846
1847
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1848
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Fort Victoria Post Journal May 1847

1847 May

Saturday 1^st May Beautiful weather with light variable airs. Some Kawitchins arrived this morning and brought little or nothing for trade. Week's operations as follows: 15 acres of land planted for potatoes & manured, 8 acres ploughed ∞ d^o., 24 cords wood cut ∞ Steamer, foundation of the sixth buttress laid, the roof of Store #6 whitewashed, ab^t 12oz. glue made, about the usual q^ty of grain thrashed & about 1 keg butter made ∞ dairy man.

Sunday 2^nd Fine and warm with light variable airs. Nothing remarkable.

Monday 3^rd Fine pleasant weather with a strong breeze from the South West. All the wood has been shipped on board the Beaver together with sundries from Depot ∞ Ft. Simpson Out. '47. She is therefore ready to leave this {place} tomorrow morning. Snitlum & some of his gang arrived in the evening as did also some Tlalums.

Tuesday 4^th Overcast with frequent showers of heavy rain. Early this morning the Steamer left for the North. Men employed collecting stones, planting potatoes, carting manure &c. 10 beaver & otter & some small furs were traded to day from Snitlum & party.

Wednesday 5^th Raining heavily over night & for some time this forenoon. We have now got all our potatoes planted in the field which consists of 27 acres of land in which 400 bus. were planted. 16 oak knees ∞ Granary were cut in course of to day & yesterday. No trade. Had the beef & pork casks pickled in course of this day.

Thursday 6 Fine clear weather with a light breeze from the South West. Had Minie sowing some grass seed, the rest making fences, carting poles & cutting poles ∞ d^o., Gagnon making glue. No trade, nor any strange arrivals.

Friday 7^th Beautiful weather with light variable airs. Minie & Lazard squaring oak, the carters were splitting fence poles. All the horses, except two having been let loose to feed on the plains.

Saturday 8^th The Northern lights appeared very brilliant about 9 PM. last night a very unusual occurrence here especially at this season of the year. Weather beautiful throughout the day. The results of our operations of this week are as follows: 12 acres of land manured & planted with potatoes, 4 skow loads of stone collected ∞ Granary foundation, 100 yds of log fence made & ab^t 400 yds fenc^g repaired, 11 oak logs from 12 @ 25 ft long 12ins sq^re squared, 26 bushels of wheat fan^d & thrash^d, 16 oak knees ∞ beams of Granary sq^d & taken home, 50 logs ∞ fence & 300 poles ∞ d^o. carted out of woods. No trade worth mentioning, except 4 beavers this afternoon from Tlalums.

Sunday 9^th Beautiful weather with light variable winds. Nothing remarkable.

Monday 10 Occasionally overcast & blowing strong from the South West. 4 hands were squaring oak, 2 squaring wallplates ∞ Granary & 8 hands rafting the squared timbers ∞ Granary, the ox drivers hauling out logs ∞ fence & the engaged Indians repairing fences. No trade. Gagnon making lime.

Tuesday 11 Fine & warm. People employed as yesterday. Several Whotlumies arrived in course of the day & brought nothing for trade except 2 bear skins. We began this afternoon thrashing our fall wheat, the most of the spring wht being now thrashed. The people report that one of our foals has been shot dead on the plains, supposed to have been done by some Indians.

Wednesday 12 Fine weather still continues. Various tribes of Indians are now collecting in this vicinity for the purpose of raising camas. Some visited us to day & brought only 2 beaver for trade. People employed the same. Lecuyer has been on the sick list for the last fortnight with toothache-headache &c. Tarpaulin for the same period with an injured eye & Minie for the last three days with sore eyes.

Thursday 13 Fine & warm with light variable airs. Had six hands employed to day cutting out the Granary frame work & the rest collecting stones. Ouamtany with 15 Indians rafting cedar logs from Esquoimalt, we began this afternoon hauling out the oak crooks. Several skins were traded in course of the day from Tlalums and Whotlumies, principally for woolens.

Friday 14 Weather warm as yesterday. People employed principally building & collecting stones ∞ Granary foundation. 60 cedar logs are now rafted home from Esq^t by Ouamtany & gang. Some furs were traded to day from various tribes of Indians. The report brought the other day of one of our colts having been shot is without foundation, the whole having been seen to day by the dairymen.

Saturday 15^th Very warm weather. Several Tlalums arrived in course of the day & traded some beaver & otters. People employed as usual at the Granary. Week's operations as follows: 2 stone buttresses ∞ Granary completed, 24 pieces of oak hauled out ∞ oxen, 10 square logs ∞ Granary hauled out of woods & rafted home, 60 cedar logs ∞ d^o. rafted from Esquoimalt, 15 pieces of oak ∞ plank f^m 32@20ft sq^d., the roof of N^o. 6 whitewashed, 400 yds fencing rep^d, about 20 bus. wheat thrashed & sundry other duties performed about the stores & in the forge, 40 barrels filled with water & placed behind the stores to be in readiness should any of the buildings take fire. No news yet of the Brig Mary Dare.

Sunday 16^th Weather beautifully clear with light variable airs Nothing remarkable.

Monday 17^th Very warm weather with light winds as yesterday. The people employed as last week, building Granary foundation & hauling out the oak. The Steamer's furs were taken out, beat & aired to day. Several canoes arrived from various quarters & brought some deer & other articles of provisions for trade.

Tuesday 18^th Heat very oppressive & the atmosphere towards evening became quite obscured with smoke. Men employed as yesterday at the Granary. Some Cawitchins arrived in course of the day & traded 2 land otters.

Wednesday 19^th Fine weather still continuing. People employed as usual, at the Granary & hauling out oak. Several Indians visited us to day also & brought but very few furs.

Thursday 20^th Weather very sultry. A large number of Indians are now encamped in this vicinity. Some of whom arrived here in course of the day, but traded little or no furs. A war party of Kawitchins passed the Straits last night & fired on some Tlalums who were crossing & wounded two men. 8 hands were to day squaring the longitudinal sleepers for the Granary, two of which we got hauled out by the oxen. Indians thrashing & collecting stones ∞ that building.

Friday 21 Sultry weather as yesterday. Wind light from the South West. About 60 canoes of Tlalums & other Indians arrived in course of the day but brought nothing for trade. We got all the longitudinal sleepers ∞ Granary hauled out & placed on the stone buttresses. We could not level the sills to day owing to a part of the rock being in the way which will have to be blasted off to morrow.

Saturday 22^nd Beautiful weather with fresh breeze from the ~~Northward~~ South West. Week's operations as follows: sills, longitudinal pieces placed on Granary foundation, 5 sleepers sq^d & sundry other necessary jobs performed about the building of the Granary, about 70 pieces of oak hauled out ∞ oxen, two skow loads of stones collected, 34 1/2 bus. wheat thrash^d & fann^d with sundry jobs performed about the stores. No trade worth mentioning except a few skins from the Whotlumie Chief.

Sunday 23 No change in the weather & no occurrence worthy of notice.

Monday 24^th Fine weather still continues with light breeze from the South West. The people resumed their occupations of last week. We have now got the long sleepers adjusted on the buttresses ∞ Granary foundation, sills leveled & are now ready for placing the cross sleepers. Several of the men & children are troubled with sore eyes a very rare occurrence here. Dupuis is on the sick list with the complaint, another will therefore have to take his place at the Dairy.

Tuesday 25 No change in the weather. Men employed at the Granary as yesterday. A few skins were traded from Kawitchins in course of the day. Early this morning the Brig Mary Dare Captain Cooper arrived from England via the Sandwich Islands having new boilers & other stores on board ∞ Steamer Beaver. ~~Robiere~~ Louis Satakarata, Dupuis, Keave on the sick list, the two former with sore eyes.

Wednesday 26^th Weather beautifully clear with variable winds. People employed as usual, laying down the Granary sleepers. Minie unfortunately fell down on the rocks from one of the buttresses & is consequently laid up. The building operations has not however been interrupted, Lazard being qualified to act as carpenter in his stead. 1000 bags of salt have been discharged from the Mary Dare, that vessel has been taken along side of Steamer's Wharf this morning. 4 spars of 60ft long for sheers to hoist out the boilers were cut this afternoon. Snitlum & party arrived to day & brought an unusually large bundle of furs.

Thursday 27 Very sultry weather. Had our oxen all day hauling out large spars to hoist the boilers out of the Mary Dare hold. Coté has been employed with that vessel's carpenter, taking ~~out~~ up her decks. The rest of the men and Indians were employed as yesterday. 42 beavers & otters were traded to day from Skatchets & Tlalums.

Friday 28^th Warm weather still continues. Had two men & six oxen employed to day putting up a pair of sheers for hoisting out the boilers out of the Mary Dare. The rest employed as yesterday cutting out the posts, beams & wallplates of the Granary. Some deer and other articles of provisions were traded to day from various tribes of Indians.

Saturday 29^th Beautiful clear weather with a light westerly breeze. Week's operations as follows: sleepers cut out & placed on the Granary sills, 8 posts & beams mortised & tenon^d & made ready for putting up, 6 buildings white washed [ie] their roofs, 30 bus. wheat thrash^d & sundry duties performed about the stores & garden. No trade to day worth noticing.

Sunday 30^th Weather overcast with a light shower of rain about noon. Wind blowing fresh from the South West. Nothing occurred of any note, except three large canoes of Tlalums which called here in the afternoon on their way to meet some Cawitchins with whom they have some quarrels to settle.

Monday 31^st Generally clear with light variable winds. We got 16 posts & 8 beams of Granary erected this forenoon at which all hands were employed, 9 men & 12 Indians superintended by Ouamtany went up the arm this afternoon to square pieces for the same building, Minie & Lazard placing blocks under the sleepers. Louis Satakarata & Kamakeea on the sick list, the former with a sore eye & the latter with a sore leg. Several hundred pieces of cedar bark for covering the boilers were traded to day from the Natives.

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