If the psychiatrist's belief that childhood determines adult behaviour is true, then historians should be able to ascertain much about the fabric of past cultures by examining the way in which children were raised. Indeed, it may be argued that the roots of new cultures are to be found in the growing up experiences of the first generation. Such is the premise adopted in this thesis, which explores the emergence of the Metis in the Pacific Northwest by tracing the lives of fur trade youngsters from childbirth to old age. Specifically, the study focuses on the children at Fort Vancouver, the Hudson's Bay Company headguarters for the region, during the first half of the nineteenth century — a period of rapid social change. While breaking new ground in childhood history, the thesis also provides a social history of fur trade society west of the Rocky Mountains. Central to the study is the conviction that the fur trade constituted a viable culture. While the parents in this culture came from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds, their mixed-blood youngsters were raised in the 'wilderness' of Oregon in a fusion of fur trade capitalism, Euro-American ideology and native values — a milieu which forged and shaped their identities. This thesis advances the interpretation that, despite much variation in the children's growing up experience, most fur trade youngsters' lives were conditioned and contoured by the persistent and sometimes contrary forces of race, class and gender. In large measure, the interplay of these forces denoted much about the children's roles as adults. Rather than making them victims of 'higher civilization,' however, the education of fur trade children allowed them access to both native and white communities. Only a few were 'marginalized'. The majority eventually became members of the dominant culture, while a few consciously rejected the white experience in favour of native lifestyles. / Arts, Faculty of / Philosophy, Department of / Graduate

Archaeological investigations can reveal persistent traditions of ethnic groups. Hawaiians were employed in the fur trade of the Columbia River from 1810 through 1850. The Hudson's Bay Company employed them at Ft. Vancouver, Washington from 1825 through the end of this period. Data from the excavations of the servant's village at Ft. Vancouver are compared with the built environment of contact period Hawaii. Similarity of structural remains suggests a persistence of tradition among the Hawaiian employees of the Hudson's Bay Company. / Graduation date: 1993

The purpose of the study was to trace the route of William Wright Anderson who traveled overland to Oregon from St. Joseph, Missouri in 1848 and then on to California in 1849. It was to be determined what guidebook(s) and/or map(s) he used on his journey. The identification of places, individuals, terms, and events while on the journey and while in Oregon and California were to be included in the study.The diary and memoirs were purposely to be kept as nearly as possible to their original state as not to lose the historical value and flavor of the manuscript. However, a minimal amount of editing was necessary to insure clarity.Findings1. It was determined that Anderson used Joel Palmer's guidebook Palmer's Journal of Travels Over the Rocky Mountains, 1845-1846, while on the Oregon Trail.2. Numerous geographical features and places were identified on the Oregon Trail, in Oregon, on the overland trail from Oregon to California, and in California.3. Numerous pioneers and contemporaries with who Anderson came in contact were identified. These included, most notably, Joe Meek, Antoine Reynal, Jr., Thomas "Peg-Leg" Smith, Philip Foster, Henderson Luelling, Alanson Beers, and Elisha, John, and Charles Packwood. 4. Various terms no longer in use were identified as to their meaning. Examples included were: “deadening," "thimble-rigging," "clever," and "hewer."5. Anderson was directly involved in several historical events which included: the meeting of Oregon representative Joe Meek on Meek's trip to Washington, D.C., the meeting of the soldiers searching for the murders of Marcus and Narcissa Whitman, the manufacture of the famous "Beaver Money" in Oregon, the growth of Coloma, California after the gold discovery, and the rise and decline of the California gold mining operations.ConclusionThe Anderson manuscript is of great historical value because the timing and extent of his travels coincided with many historical events. The work is a historical treasure for scholars studying Oregon or California history of the period.