John Wilson (b. 1836)
John Wilson entered the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) service in 1860 at Stromness from St. Andrews Parish, Scotland. He was an unassigned apprentice clerk from 1860 to 1861; an apprentice clerk at Cumberland House from 1861 to 1862; an apprentice clerk at Flying Post, Grand Rapids and Moose Lake from 1862 to 1867; and clerk in charge at LaPierre House from 1867 to 1869.1)
Wilson was the agent for the HBC at Fort Yukon in 1869. He was informed by Charles P. Raymond in the fall of 1869 that Fort Yukon was on American soil and that trading by the British was illegal. The post was not abandoned until the following spring, but the HBC did not trade that winter.2) The HBC servants started moving their goods up the Porcupine River to the location of the first post called Rampart. It was also on American soil, so they were soon compelled to relocate, finally to site of present day Rampart House on the Yukon Alaska border.
John Wilson was a clerk at Rampart House from 1869 to 1871; a junior chief trader in charge at LaPierre House from 1875 to 1876; moved to Fort Liard in 1876; was the junior chief trader in charge at Peel River [Fort McPherson] from 1878 to 1881; on furlough from 1881 to 1882; junior chief trader in charge at Peel River from 1882 to 1883, and chief trader at Fort Rae, Mackenzie District from 1885 to 1896.3)
John Wilson retired in June 1897.4)