My grandmother left this letter written on birch bark.
July 29 18
Phillips Hudson's Bay Exploratory Party
Fort Churchill
Hudson's Bay
Dear Father, Mother & all
Just a few lines to let you know I am alive and well and hope you are all the same. I have no doubt you have all been wondering where I am and what I am doing. You will see by the address that I am a long way from civilisation. I came across two old Indians today in the woods and I know them very well having once having done one of them a favour. As they are making their way back to civilisation to trade fur I asked them to post these letters... & I think they will do alright...
I made very good time with the party coming North having brought them 1000 miles in 3 weeks which I think is about a record.
As I have no paper I have cut this bark off a tree...
And so my dear parents, how are you getting along at home...
I like this life very well. Rough & Ready I think...
I lost one man on our way out with a canoe upsetting but we could not help it.
I must draw my letter to a close as it is getting daylight...
Hoping [this] will find you all in the best of health and spirits as it leaves you loving son...
Arthur
Hudson's Bay Bark Letter
Contributed by inguanoveritas
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About this object
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- Location
-
Hudson's Bay, Canada
- Culture
- Period
-
1918
- Theme
- Size
-
- H:
- 20cm
- W:
- 24cm
- D:
- 1cm
- Colour
- Material
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Comments
What a fantastic item to have in your family's possession. What I find impressive is the matter of fact way in which an ordinary man describes extraordinary experience - 1000 miles travel in 3 weeks - that's about 40 miles a day over terrain which would have been difficult to say the least ? A fatal canoe accident, using bark for paper, encounters with Native Americans, . . . all elements which I think would have seemed as exotic to his family back home as interplanetary journeys / meetings would be for us today. A fascinating object, well deserving of its place in this planet's history.