Charles Mignier dit Lagassé (also spelled Lagace, Lagacé, La Gasse, or Le Gosse)(our 5th great-granduncle), born November 28, 1744, in Saint-Ignace-de-Loyola, Quebec, was a pivotal figure in the early 19th-century fur trade. As a French-Canadian voyageur with the North West Company (NWC), he embodied the rugged endurance required to traverse North America's vast wilderness. His career, spanning from around 1792 to the 1820s, intertwined with the ambitious explorations of David Thompson, the renowned British-Canadian surveyor and mapmaker who charted over 4.9 million square kilometers of the continent. Lagassé's roles evolved from gouvernail (rudder man or steersman) to milieu (middleman in a canoe brigade) and eventually to bowsman, reflecting his growing expertise in navigation and trade. He participated in groundbreaking expeditions across the Canadian Rockies, the Columbia Plateau, and the Pacific Northwest, contributing to the NWC's push against rivals like the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) and American interests.
Drawing from historical journals, biographical records, and fur trade archives, Lagassé's expeditions highlight the perils of frontier life: grueling portages, harsh winters, Indigenous alliances, and occasional conflicts. His work helped establish trading posts, map uncharted territories, and facilitate cultural exchanges with tribes like the Kootenay (Kutenai), Salish (Flathead), and Ilthkoyape (forebears of the Colville Confederated Tribes). Below is a detailed exploration of his key expeditions, organized chronologically, enhanced with context from sources like Thompson's journals, NWC contracts, and HBC biographies.
Early Career and Entry into the NWC (Pre-1800)
Lagassé joined the NWC sometime before 1792, likely drawn from Quebec's voyageur communities in La Prairie or Rivière-Ouelle, where his family had deep roots in the fur trade. On March 28, 1792, he signed a contract with McTavish, Frobisher & Co. (an NWC predecessor) as a gouvernail, notarized by Louis Chaboillez. This role involved steering birchbark canoes through treacherous rivers, carrying loads up to 180 pounds over portages, and enduring months of isolation. His early assignments focused on the Great Lakes and Saskatchewan regions, preparing him for more ambitious ventures. By the late 1790s, he was positioned in the Athabasca or Saskatchewan districts, aligning with the NWC's strategy to counter HBC dominance in the Northwest.
1800: Upper Saskatchewan and First Crossing of Howse Pass
Lagassé's documented expeditions began in earnest with David Thompson in April 1800 on the Upper Saskatchewan River, near Rocky Mountain House (in present-day Alberta). Thompson, tasked with expanding NWC trade westward, relied on voyageurs like Lagassé for logistics and Indigenous relations. From October 5 to 23, 1800, Lagassé accompanied Thompson on a reconnaissance to Kootenay territory. Equipped with trade goods like beads, knives, and tobacco, Lagassé was left to winter among the Kootenay Indians (1800–1801), fostering alliances and gathering furs while Thompson returned east.
This journey marked one of the first European crossings of Howse Pass, a 1,530-meter-high route through the Rockies connecting the Saskatchewan River to the Columbia watershed (now in Banff National Park). Accompanied by another voyageur named Le Blanc (or La Blanc), Lagassé navigated snow-choked trails, forded icy streams, and relied on Indigenous guides for survival. The pass, named after HBC explorer Joseph Howse (who crossed it later in 1809), was a vital corridor for Indigenous peoples and became a key fur trade artery. Lagassé returned to Rocky Mountain House in spring 1801 with pelts and intelligence on western tribes, solidifying Thompson's plans for further expansion.
1808–1810: Rocky Mountains and Kootenay House
After a period of less-documented activity, Lagassé rejoined Thompson in the Rockies from 1808 to 1810. On November 7, 1808, he traveled from Boggy Hall (near present-day Hinton, Alberta) to Kootenay House, an NWC post established by Thompson in 1807 near Windermere Lake, British Columbia. This expedition involved hauling supplies over rugged terrain amid growing tensions with Piegan (Blackfoot) warriors, who opposed NWC incursions into their hunting grounds.
In spring 1810, while in the Saleesh (Flathead) area, Lagassé hired three horses for Thompson but clashed with him over assigned duties, leading Thompson to label him a "deserter" on May 17. Despite this, Lagassé's knowledge of the region proved invaluable, as he had built rapport with local Salish tribes.
1811: Columbia River and Ilthkoyape Falls
Lagassé resurfaced on June 22, 1811, at Ilthkoyape Falls (now Kettle Falls, Washington) on the Columbia River, rejoining Thompson's party. Thompson named the site after the local Ilthkoyape Indians, ancestors of the Colville Confederated Tribes, who fished salmon there. From August 29, 1811, Lagassé headed south on the Columbia with Thompson's expedition, stopping at the newly established Fort Astoria (founded by John Jacob Astor's Pacific Fur Company) before continuing upstream. This descent of the Columbia was a milestone, as Thompson became the first European to map the river's full navigable length to the Pacific.
1812–1814: Columbia District and Fort George
Lagassé re-engaged with the NWC on a two-year contract in 1812, committing to the Columbia District until 1814. He wintered at Fort George (the NWC's renamed Astoria after its 1813 purchase during the War of 1812) in 1813–1814, serving as a milieu. On April 4, 1814, he acted as bowsman on John Stuart's (not Clark's, as sometimes misstated) canoe brigade to Fort William and Montreal.
Post-1814: Return to the Columbia and Transition to Freeman
Lagassé returned to the Columbia region, continuing NWC service until the 1821 merger with the HBC. His contract transferred, but by 1822, he was listed as a freeman (independent trader) with an expired agreement, and no further HBC engagements are recorded. His death date and place remain unknown, possibly in the 1820s amid the Pacific Northwest's shifting fur trade landscape.
Family and Legacy
Lagassé married Marie Madeleine Aubé dit Aubert in 1771, fathering children including a son André (b. 1775), who also became an NWC interpreter. Historians like Bruce McIntyre Watson suggest he may have taken a Flathead wife named Emme (c. 1795–1855), with possible children Pierre (c. 1815–1882) and Josette (c. 1812–1896), though oral traditions sometimes attribute these to a "brother" Pierre—highlighting the fluid family ties in Métis communities. Descendants like outfitter Ray Lagace (great-grandson) continued guiding in the Rockies, echoing Charles's legacy.
Year | Expedition/Role | Key Locations | Notable Events/Associations |
1792 | NWC Contract as Gouvernail | Grand Portage, Saskatchewan | Hired by McTavish, Frobisher & Co.; early fur brigade work. |
Apr 1800 | Upper Saskatchewan Recon | Rocky Mountain House, AB | With Thompson; mapping and trade prep. |
Oct 1800–Spring 1801 | Kootenay Wintering | Howse Pass, Kootenay Territory, BC | First European crossing of Howse Pass; winter trade with Kootenay. |
1808–1810 | Rockies Expeditions | Boggy Hall to Kootenay House; Saleesh Area | Journey to establish posts; "deserter" incident with Thompson. |
Jun–Aug 1811 | Columbia River Descent | Kettle Falls, WA; Astoria, OR | Rejoins Thompson; maps Columbia to Pacific. |
1812–1814 | Columbia District Wintering | Fort George (Astoria) | Milieu role; brigade to Montreal. |
Post-1814–1822 | Independent Trader | Columbia Plateau | Freeman after HBC merger; possible Métis family ties. |
Lagassé's expeditions advanced European knowledge of the West, but at great personal cost—facing starvation, rival ambushes, and the elements. His story, preserved in Thompson's New Light on the Early History of the Greater Northwest and HBC archives, underscores the vital, often overlooked contributions of voyageurs to continental exploration.
Epilogue: Whispers Through the Pass
Envision the crisp autumn of 1800: Charles Lagassé, breath fogging in the mountain air, shoulders a pack heavy with trade beads as he crests Howse Pass beside Le Blanc. Below, the Columbia's tributaries gleam like veins of silver, home to Kootenay lodges where fires crackle against the encroaching frost. Thompson's map sketches fade into the horizon, but Lagassé presses on, bartering furs for stories, forging bonds that outlast empires.
Years blur into relentless paddles—down the Saskatchewan's roar, through Piegan shadows in the Rockies, to the Columbia's mighty flow where salmon leap and tribes gather at Kettle Falls. A deserter's label stings briefly, but the river calls him back, to Fort George's salty Pacific edge. As the NWC folds into the HBC, Lagassé vanishes into freeman obscurity, perhaps beside a Flathead hearth with Emme, his legacy echoing in the passes he pioneered, a voyageur's silent testament to the wild's unyielding pull.
Updated history and narrative courtesy of Grok xAI. Thank you.
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