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Bella Coola Post fonds
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Bella Coola Post fonds

  • PR-1658
  • Fonds
  • 1877-1879

The fonds consists of correspondence of Bella Coola Post and a personal daybook created by William Sinclair III.

Hudson's Bay Company. Bella Coola Post

Diary of William Sinclair III

The item consists of one day book belonging to William Sinclair III, an employee of the Hudson's Bay Company and stationed at Bella Coola post. The day book itself is dated 1874, however Sinclair used it between 1878-1879 and re-wrote the dates for each entry. The day book is a private diary kept by Sinclair and not an HBC corporate record, however it documents the business activities of Bella Coola Post.

The final pages include a draft letter to I.W. Powell, Superintendent of Indian Affairs for British Columbia, on behalf of the local chief (not named). The draft letter expresses dissatisfaction on behalf of the local Indigenous people regarding broken promises. Also included among the final pages of the diary are recipes for pies and plum pudding, instructions for tanning hides, a list of British Navy vessels, and a rough translation dictionary of common words and phrases in English and an unidentified Indigenous language (possibly Nuxalk).

The diary accounts from Sinclair's nine day journey from Victoria to Bella Coola and his daily activities upon arriving at the post. There is a brief entry for each day, which sometimes consists only of an update on the weather whereas other days have more lengthy descriptions of activities. The diary includes descriptions of interactions with local Indigenous populations

Correspondence outward

The file consists of correspondence outwards written by F.W. Kennedy at Bella Coola post to Charles Siefko (?) in 1877, and to C.R. Jones in 1877-1878. The correspondence provides updates to Siefko and Jones on the activities at Bella Coola during this time period. The file contains 12 letters.