Brothers of the Paddle: Charles and André Lagassé in the North West Company

 

While many voyageurs faced the daunting expanse of le Pays d’en Haut alone, the Lagassé family sent two of its own sons across the Continental Divide. Born along the south shore of the St. Lawrence to Charles Mignier dit Lagassé and Marie Madeleine Aubé, brothers Charles (c. 1777–1823) and André (c. 1775–aft. 1821) traded the quiet life of Kamouraska for the roaring rivers of the trans-continental fur trade.

Together and in parallel, the brothers served as essential gears in the high-stakes machinery of the North West Company (NWC).

[THE LAGASSÉ BROTHERS IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST] 

Charles Lagassé (c. 1777–1823) ──┐

• Master Steersman (Gouvernail)         │ 

• Pioneer over Howse Pass (1800)         ├─► [Nor'Wester Columbia District] 

                        │ • David Thompson Expeditions 

André Lagassé (c. 1775–aft. 1821).       │ • Fort Astoria / Fort George 

• Pack Train & Interior Specialist     ──┘ • Country Ties with Salish/Flathead

1. Complementary Roles on the Water and the Trail

In the hierarchy of a Nor'Wester canoe brigade, trust was everything. A single mistake by a steersman could crush a birchbark canoe against river granite or spill a season's worth of trade goods into frozen rapids.

• Charles established himself early as a skilled gouvernail (steersman) and bowsman. His precision on the water earned him a spot on David Thompson’s most critical mapping expeditions, taking him down the Columbia River, past Kettle Falls, and all the way to the Pacific ocean at Fort Astoria.

• André, working alongside the mountain brigades, specialized as a milieu (middleman) and interior packer. When the rivers turned into treacherous mountain passes, André’s strength in managing pack horses and navigating overland trails ensured that Thompson's outposts stayed supplied through brutal alpine winters.

2. Opening the Kootenay and Flathead Country

The brothers were at the tip of the spear as the North West Company pushed west of the Rockies into the Columbia River basin.

In October 1800, Charles made fur trade history when Thompson sent him over Howse Pass to winter directly with the Kootenay people—becoming one of the first two Europeans to establish a seasonal foothold on the western side of the Canadian Rockies. Not far behind, André was engaged in the interior trade throughout the Saleesh (Flathead) and Kootenay territories, bartering steel axes, iron kettles, and gunpowder for prime beaver pelts.

3. Rooted in the West: From Nor'Westers to Freemen

When the brutal rivalry between the North West Company and the Hudson's Bay Company ended in a forced merger in 1821, both Charles and André chose not to return to the settled parishes of Québec. Decades of wilderness life had transformed them.

Both brothers became freemen—independent trappers and traders living west of the Divide. Through country marriages with Indigenous women, including ties to the Salish/Flathead nation, the Lagassé brothers anchored a new Métis generation on the Columbia Plateau. From the St. Lawrence to the Pacific, Charles and André proved that the bond of brotherhood could survive the harshest rivers and highest mountain passes in North America.

About David Thompson: The Greatest Mapmaker of North America

David Thompson lived from 1770 to 1857, mapping 1.5 million square miles of North America during his career as a fur trader and David Thompson.

Early Life and Training (1770–1796)

• April 30, 1770: Born in London, England.
• 1784: Apprenticed to the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) after schooling in mathematics and navigation; sailed to Canada.
• 1794: Promoted to official surveyor for the HBC.

North West Company and Major Mapping (1797–1812)

• May 23, 1797: Left the HBC after being told to stop surveying; walked 80 miles in the snow to join the rival North West Company (NWC).
• 1797–1798: Completed a major expedition mapping central Canada and Lake Superior.
• Spring 1799: Married Charlotte Small at Grand Portage.
• 1807: Crossed the Continental Divide via Howse Pass to search for the Columbia River and open trade routes to the Pacific.
• 1807–1811: Explored and mapped the Columbia Plateau and the entire length of the Columbia River.
• July 14, 1811: Reached the Pacific Ocean and Fort Astoria, two months after American fur traders.
• 1812: Retired from active field exploration and moved to Montreal.

Later Years and Legacy (1817–1857)

• 1817–1827: Worked as chief surveyor for the International Boundary Commission under the Treaty of Ghent.
• 1831–1845: Faced severe financial debt and bad land investments, forcing him back to commercial surveying.
• 1851: Lost his eyesight completely, leaving his memoirs unfinished.
• February 10, 1857: Died in poverty and obscurity in Montreal, Quebec.

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