Andrew Flett
Andrew Flett was an Orkneyman in the service of the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) in the Fort Liard and Yukon River basin areas. In Fort Liard, he was on contract as a middleman on a boat crew. In the summer of 1849, Flett was posted at Fort Selkirk under chief trader Robert Campbell when the supply boat failed to arrive at Frances Lake. James Stewart and Andrew Flett were waiting at Pelly Banks for Pambrun, the trader at Frances Lake, and his men to bring over the supplies. When they didn’t arrive, Stewart and Flett returned to Fort Selkirk. They would not have made it back if they had not had the caches of fish left by Campbell for Pambrun in case he changed his mind about relocating to Fort Selkirk.1) In 1851, Robert Campbell allowed Flett to marry Cachoz in December 1851. Cachoz was the daughter of La Gauche, a Fort Liard hunter who had been with Campbell since 1837. Flett had re-engaged with the company for another three years, and Cachoz [Mary Flett] was to take the place of the deceased Lolique Forcier, mending and making clothing for the men of the post.2)
During the pillage of Fort Selkirk in 1852, Robert Campbell had four men with him. He had returned from a trip to Fort Yukon in early August to get a cow. Mr. Stewart left on Campbell's arrival, with four men and some First Nation trappers to trade and he was expected to return at the end of August. The attack happened on 21 August, 1852. Flett's and Lake's wives were working in the kitchen. Brough left with them on August 11th. Two hunters, Lapie and Peter, arrived with their families and precipitated the attack. These events were described in a letter from Robert Campbell to James Anderson in November 1852.3)
Andrew Flett became the Hudson's Bay Co. clerk at Peel River Post (Fort MacPherson) in 1862. Flett's wife translated for Robert McDonald on his visit to the fort in 1863. McDonald wrote in September 1863 that Mr. A. Flett and his wife had exerted themselves during the past winter so that many who were formerly attached to Romanism converted to Protestantism.4) Andrew Flett remained at Fort McPherson until 1874 when he transferred to Fort Rae.5)