Edmonton House Journals, 1826 – 1834

As Edmonton House entered its fourth decade, its future as one of the most profitable Hudson’s Bay Company posts seemed secure, but were its best days behind it?

John Rowand, the imposing figure in charge of the fort, struggled to adapt to the rapidly changing circumstances on the northwestern plains. American traders operating from the Missouri River began to draw off much of the trade of the Plains people, even as the relations among and within First Nations grew ever more acrimonious.

Closer to home, and much to Rowand’s frustration, Métis families grew increasingly assertive and independent. Rowand could not find peace even within the fort’s palisades. Company servants chafed under the heavy hand of an increasingly irascible Rowand. The third volume of the Edmonton House Journals offers a fascinating glimpse at the day-to-day life at one of the HBC’s most important trading centres during this transitional period.

NOTE: All three volumes are now available for purchase individually for $60 each or the set of three for $160 plus shipping, a saving of $20.