Yukon who is who

William Lucas Hardisty (1822 – 1881)

William Hardisty was probably born at Waswanipi House on Waswinipi Lake in Quebec.¹⁾ His parents were Richard and Margaret Sutherland Hardisty and he had nine siblings. In 1844, the youngest boys (William, Joseph, Richard and George) were sent to the Red River Boarding School.²⁾

Hardisty entered service with the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1842. In 1843, he went to Francis Lake to serve under Robert Campbell and was in charge of the post when Campbell was away in the summer of 1844. In November, Hardisty travelled to the Pelly River Post [Pelly Banks] and did well in trade but had to return to Francis Lake due to a lack of supplies. He went to the Pelly River again in March 1845 and returned to Francis Lake in April. In 1846, Hardisty was again in charge of the Francis Lake post while Campbell was away. He spent the winter of 1847/48 at Fort Simpson due to illness. He was recovered by June 1848, helped Augustus Richard Peers construct new buildings at Pelly Banks, and then managed the post while Peers travelled to Fort Simpson.³⁾

In November, Hardisty took over LaPierre House on the Bell River. In the summer of 1849, he assisted at Pelly Banks and then managed the post while Peers was away. That September, Lieutenant William John Samuel Pullen and fourteen others from an expedition looking for Franklin stopped at LaPierre House.⁴⁾

In 1851, Hardisty travelled to Fort Yukon to replace Alexander Hunter Murray. He did well at the post and was promoted to chief trader in 1858. In 1859/60 he was in charge at Fort Resolution on Great Slave Lake and assisted Robert Kennicott in collecting bird specimens for the Smithsonian Institute. He was at Fort Liard from 1860 to 1862 and then moved to Fort Simpson to take charge of the Mackenzie River District. He was promoted to chief factor in 1868. His paper on the Gwitch’in was published by the Smithsonian in 1867.⁵⁾ William Hardisty left the Mackenzie River district in 1878 and retired in 1879.⁶⁾