From York Fort to the Eagle Hills: Reconstructing an Eighteenth-Century Route
York Factory, 1770s by Samuel Hearne. Engraving coloured, March 1, 1797. © Hudson’s Bay Co. Archives, Provincial Archives of Manitoba / Engraver: Wise / HBCA P-228 (N8317)
Matthew Cocking’s 1772 expedition offers more than a narrative of travel; it provides a detailed reconstruction of a route through the interior that was, even at the time, slipping from European knowledge.
From Familiar Paths to Forgotten Routes
The journey began along the established Hayes River route, long used by Hudson’s Bay Company expeditions. However, beyond Knee Lake, Cocking’s party diverged westward, following a network of waterways and portages that had once been known but were later neglected.
As noted in the journal’s introduction, this route was
“at that time familiar… but afterward forgotten, so much so… this strip of territory is… counted among the smaller unexplored areas.”¹
This observation highlights a recurring reality of early exploration: knowledge was often temporary, dependent on continued use.
Geography and Movement
Cocking’s route traversed a complex system of rivers and lakes, including:
- The Hayes and Steel rivers
- Deer Lake and Cross Lake
- The Minago River and Moose Lake
- The Saskatchewan River
Travel conditions were frequently arduous. Cocking describes the need to
“track, drag, & carry the Canoes & Goods… amongst rocky shoals & strong current.”²
Such conditions dictated both the pace and direction of travel, reinforcing the central role of waterways in shaping movement across the region.
The Pas: A Strategic Meeting Point
By late July, Cocking reached Basquia (modern-day The Pas), a well-established hub within the fur trade network. There, he observed the presence of competing traders:
“This is a place frequented where the Canadians rendezvous & trade with the Natives.”³
This single observation confirms the extent to which inland traders had already established themselves within Indigenous trade networks.
Legacy of Earlier Traders
Further upstream, Cocking encountered remnants of earlier French activity:
“Formerly the French had a House here.”⁴
These references, likely tied to the trading posts established by La Vérendrye and his successors, indicate continuity between French and British commercial systems in the region.
The Eagle Hills
Leaving the Saskatchewan River, Cocking travelled overland to a region he identified as
“Mikisew Wache, or Eagle hills.”⁵
The persistence of this name into the present provides a rare point of continuity, allowing modern researchers to accurately situate this phase of the journey.
Reconstructing a Lost Geography
Cocking’s journal effectively restores a route that had faded from Company memory. By tracing his path, historians can reconstruct patterns of movement that were once central to the fur trade but later obscured.
Significance
This portion of the expedition demonstrates the extent to which geography—and the knowledge of it—shaped economic outcomes. The Hudson’s Bay Company’s reliance on coastal posts was increasingly incompatible with a trade network that operated inland.
Cocking’s journey did not merely map territory; it revealed the limitations of existing strategy.
References – Part II
- Cocking, Introduction, p. 91.
- Cocking, Journal entry, July 3–4, 1772, p. 96.
- Ibid., July 31, 1772, p. 99.
- Ibid., August 11, 1772, p. 101.
- Ibid., September 6, 1772, p. 105.
Smith Family Roots Ancestor
Matthew Cocking (1743-1799)