Robert E. Ficken

Unsettled Boundaries: Fraser Gold and the British-american Northwest Robert E. Ficken

The Oregon Treaty of 1846 recognized the 49th parallel as the mainland border between the United States and British-held territory in the Pacific Northwest. Real disputes began in 1858 with the discovery of gold along the Fraser River, a nearly impenetrable wilderness.

Author Robert E. Ficken recounts the story of hordes of American prospectors, as well as several thousand from British and Chinese miners, who raced to the mainland British Pacific Northwest on every form of transportation possible, hoping to "strike it rich." He tells of the extreme hardships they faced, and the determination of some to prevail over brutal weather and the lack of supplies.

Ficken also illustrates how "socially undisciplined" frontiersmen and a conglomeration of a few fur-trading posts and forts, initially without any formal governance, became the core of civilization, and describes the pivotal roles played by Sir James Douglas and the Hudson?s Bay Company. Additionally, he relates how two governments avoided serious military confrontation, and discusses how the native people reacted to the massive emigration into their homeland.

Ultimately challenging often-held assumptions to the contrary, "Unsettled Boundaries" establishes the Fraser River event as one of the major developments in Pacific Northwest history, one that still impacts residents and travelers in the region on a daily basis.