Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
John Work papers, 1823-1862
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Work, John, 1792-1861
- Title
- John Work papers
- Dates
- 1823-1862 (inclusive)18231862
- Quantity
- .43 cu. ft. (1 box)
- Collection Number
- 4981 (Accession No. 4981-001)
- Summary
- Papers of a company official with Hudson's Bay Company
- Repository
-
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Open to all users.
- Languages
- English
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
John Work was born c. 1792 in Ireland to parents Henry and Letitia Wark. His last name, Wark, was later anglicized to Work when he began his career with Hudson’s Bay Company. He had five siblings, including Senator David Work and Joseph Wark.
Work appears not to have had an adequate early education; however, he nevertheless was hired as a writer for the Hudson’s Bay Company on June 15, 1814, at Stromness in the Orkney Islands. After serving in five different positions along Hudson Bay, in July 1823 he was assigned to the Columbia District. It was on this trip from York Factory to the Columbia District that Work kept the first in a series of journals that documented all of his expeditions from July 1823 to October 1835. During his first trade season in the Columbia District, Work and Finan McDonald extended trade into the Flathead country in Montana before traveling to the district’s headquarters at Fort George (Astoria, Oregon). Throughout his career with Hudson’s Bay Company, Work continued to travel on a number of trading expeditions, including ones to eastern Idaho, northwestern Utah, Nevada, Mexican California, northern Vancouver Island, and along the Columbia River. He also supervised the construction of many trading posts, including Fort Colville and Fort Simpson. Fort Simpson served as his permanent residence from 1836 until 1846, during which time he worked as the field manager of the fort. In 1849, Work settled his family at Fort Victoria.
Although Work had been urged to marry the daughter of a chief of the Cayuse Indians in order to secure the company’s protection along the Columbia River, Work instead married a mixed-blood Spokane woman named Josette Legacé. She often accompanied Work on his travels. The couple had eleven children: Jane, Sarah, Letitia, Margaret, Mary, John, Catherine, Josette, Henry, David, and Cecilia. Several of his daughters eventually married men who featured prominently in the Hudson’s Bay Company.
In August 1852, Work purchased farmland along the northern boundary of Fort Victoria, where he built a mansion he named Hillside. Work died at Hillside on December 22, 1861.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Typescript copies of journals and outgoing correspondence relative to Work's career as an officer of the Hudson's Bay Company at various company settlements including Fort Vancouver, Fort Colville, Spokane House, Fort Nisqually, and Fort Victoria.
Other Descriptive InformationReturn to Top
The journals and correspondence in this collection are typescript copies of original documents at the Provincial Archives in Victoria, B.C. All journals have edit marks by T. C. Elliott and were published in Washington Historical Quarterly.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Journals Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/1 | Journal of John Work
From York Factory to Spokane House, 1823. Between Spokane House
and Ft. George, 1824. Athabaska Pass. Spokane House, Fort Flathead. Fort Nez
Perce, Fort George. Columbia River. Personnel: Peter Skene Ogden, John Work,
Alex Ross, William Kittson, Finan MacDonald, Jas. Birnie, J. McMillan, John
McLoughlin, George Simpson, and others.
|
July 1823-November 1824 |
| 1/1 | Journal of an Expedition of the Hudson's Bay Company
northward from Fort George (Astoria) on the Columbia River to the Fraser
River
Localities: Astoria; Columbia River; Bakers Bay; Shoalwater or
Willapa Harbor; Grays Harbor; Chehalis River; Black River & Lake; Budd
Inlet or Eld Inlet; Puget Sound the channels, bays, islands, rivers of Eastern
shore; Puget Sound Indian tribes; Boundary Bay; Nikomeckl River; Point Roberts;
Fraser River. Personnel: Jas. McMillan; Thomas McKay; T. N. Annamour; John
Work; Michael Laframbois; 35 servants composed of French Canadians, Iroquois
Indians, Sandwich Islanders, 1 Englishman, 1 American; and 1 Iroquois
free-hunter and his slave.
|
November and December 1824 |
| 1/2 | Copy of Journal of John Work
Work was sent from Fort Vancouver in charge of the Spokane
outfit--the entire brigade being in charge of McLeod. The journal covers
affairs both among the Spokanes and the Flathead trading posts, and return to
Vancouver.
|
21 June 1825-12 June 1826 |
| 1/2 | Copy of Journal of John Work
Fur trading expedition from Fort Vancouver, up the Walla Walla
River, across country via Spokane House to Fort Colville, and from there into
the Flathead and Pend d'Oreill country, and back to Fort Colville. Includes the
early days at new Fort Colville.
|
5 July 1826-15 September 1826 |
| 1/3 | Copy of Journal of John Work
Journey from Fort Colville to Fort Okanogan.
|
20 May 1828-15 August 1828 |
| 1/3 | Copy of Journal of John Work
Fur trading expedition from Fort Vancouver to and through the
Snake River country, over the mountains into California, to the vicinity of the
Spanish missions.
|
17 August 1832-2 April 1833 |
| 1/4 | Copy of Journal of John Work
Continuation of record of the expedition from the vicinity of
the Spanish missions north to Fort Vancouver via the Willamette Valley.
|
3 April 1833-31 October 1833 |
| 1/4 | Copy of Journal of John Work
Expedition down the Willamette Valley to the Umpqua River and
return.
|
22 May 1834-10 July 1834 |
| 1/5 | Copy of Journal of John Work
Fur trading expedition from Fort Vancouver to the Northwest
Coast, on the
Llama
|
11 December 1834-30 June 1835 |
| 1/5 | Copy of Journal of John Work, in charge at Fort Simpson
during its construction
Gives account of the coasting fur trade at Fort Simpson, and the
voyage to Vancouver, with stops on the way down at intermediate forts.
|
July-October 1835 |
Outgoing Correspondence Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/6 | Tolmie, William F. |
30 March 1848 |
| 1/6 | Barclay, Archibald |
20 February 1850 |
| 1/6 | Tolmie, William F. |
24 December 1851 |
| 1/6 | Tolmie, William F. |
29 March 1852 |
| 1/6 | Tolmie, William F. |
28 August 1854 |
| 1/6 | Huggins |
15 November 1855 |
| 1/6 | Sinclair |
2 November 1857 |
| 1/6 | Huggins |
17 July 18[??] |
| 1/7 | Copies of letters of John Work to Edward
Ermatinger
Letters are marked from Fort Colville, Fort Flathead, Fort
Vancouver, the Columbia River, Fort Simpson, the Northwest Coast, the Steamer
Beaver, Fort Nisqually, and Fort
Victoria.
|
2 January 1828-8 August 1856 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Trading posts--Washington (State)
Personal Names
- Ermatinger, Edward, 1797-1876--Correspondence
- Tolmie, William Fraser--Correspondence
- Work, John, 1792-1861--Diaries
Geographical Names
- Fort Colvile (Wash. : Trading post)
- Fort Nisqually (DuPont, Wash.)
- Fort Nisqually (Tacoma, Wash.)
- Fort Spokane (Spokane County, Wash.)
- Fort Vancouver (Wash.)
- Fort Victoria (B.C.)
Other Creators
-
Corporate Names
- Hudson's Bay Company (creator)
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Personal Papers/Corporate Records (University of Washington)
