Positions Available: 1

The main goal of this project is to gather and assess information on the historical location of the fur trade post called Fort Fraser, British Columbia (AKA Fraser Lake Post). As is typical of fur trade posts, Fort Fraser underwent cycles in its operation and was periodically closed, and subsequently reopened in a different location. None of the locations is precisely known. The student research assistant will gather primary documentation available online from public archives related to the location of Fort Fraser, engage in a close reading and summary of published secondary sources referring to the post, download publicly available aerial images of the known general area of the post, and help the research faculty to assess the evidence for potential areas.

The project may include, but is not limited to:

• Search the online data base of the Royal British Columbia Museum/BC Public Archives and the Manitoba Public/Hudson’s Bay Company Archives for photographs, maps and reports on the location of Fort Fraser.
• Search the Sessional Papers of Canadian Parliament online for reports of the Department of Indian Affairs and compile references to the location of Fort Fraser.
• Read passages of published fur trader’s and surveyor’s journals and letters, and regional histories and compile their descriptions of the fort’s position and layout
• Search the National Air Photo Library and the Base Map Online Store of British Columbia for early maps and aerial photographs covering the general vicinity in which Fort Fraser operated
• Search the British Columbia Open LiDAR Data Portal for aerial LiDAR imagery covering the general vicinity in which the Fort was moved around and download the available files.

The student will work closely with the faculty member who is supervising. Supervision will include an in-person orientation to the research goals and explanation of the tasks to be performed, including a lesson in how to use the web sites of the archives and libraries of aerial images they will be searching and the search terms to use. The research assistant will also be provided with a list of secondary sources and passages to summarize, and basic instruction on how to use the ArcGIS software necessary to view LiDAR images. The supervisor will be available for questions by email, Teams or in-person throughout the duration of the project. There will be weekly meetings on Teams or in-person to report on findings, ask questions, and troubleshoot.