James McDougall (1841 - 1915)
James McDougall was born in Kilsyth, Scotland to Alexander and Catherine Crerar McDougall. He worked in an attorney’s office for three years before entering service with the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) in 1862. He was an apprentice clerk from 1862 to 1867, mostly working at Fort Yukon. He became a clerk at Fort Yukon in 1867, was assigned to Ramparts from 1869 to 1871 and then spent the winter of 1871/72 at Fort Simpson. In the summer of 1872 he explored the mountains between the Peel and Rat rivers.1)
In 1872, McDougall explored a pass through the mountains that was later named for him. In 1873, he started out from Fort Simpson with 1,000 pounds of freight for Lapierre House. Francois Boucher was steering the boat there were four men rowing and poling. Arthur Harper and some other miners travelled with them in a boat they bought from Jack McQuesten at the forks of the Liard River. McDougall and his men delivered the HBC freight to LapPierre House and then continued on to Fort Yukon, sounding the river as they went.2)
McDougall was listed on the HBC general ledger for LaPierre House in 1872/73 along with John Wilson (clerk), Alexander Bain (labourer), Magus Craigie (midman), William Flett (interpreter), Murdo Montgomery (midman), James Sibbeston (interpreter), John Stewart (midman), and Alexander Stewart (fisherman).3) McDougall was appointed chief trader and assigned to LaPierre House from 1873 to 1875. He was chief trader at Fort Liard in 1875/76 and at Fort Vermillian in 1876/77. In 1877, he travelled to Scotland where he and Jessie Fyfe were married. From 1877 to 1879, he and his wife were at Fort Dunvegan where he served as the chief trader in charge of the Peace River District.4)
In 1883, the year his wife Jessie died, McDougall was made factor in charge of the Edmonton District and from 1887 to 1889 he was chief factor in charge of the Athabasca District out of Fort Chipewyan, and then Cumberland District out of Cumberland House from 1894 to 1902. In 1897, he and Lillian Vernon Tait were married. Lillian was the daughter of Chief Factor John Tait and Margaret Mackenzie. McDougall retired in 1902 due to ill health.5)