The late Arthur Silver Morton has contributed immensely to our understanding and preservation of western Canadian history. One of Mortons joys was locating remains of long forgotten fur trade posts. As a result, a large number of the Saskatchewan fur trade posts that we know of were located and recorded by Morton. The majority of Mortons investigations took place throughout the 1930s and 1940s. Morton consulted whatever historic sources were available to him at the time: numerous historic documents, ethnographic accounts and local histories.<p> There has been archaeological evidence that suggests Morton misidentified numerous fur trade post sites. For example, research at the Hudsons Bay Companys South Branch House (1786-1794), which Morton identified in 1944, has sparked some controversy as to whether or not it is that particular post. As a result, this provides the author with an excellent chance to examine how Morton identified Saskatchewan fur trade posts and to determine through archaeological excavations and historical documents the accuracy of Mortons historical site designation at South Branch House.<p> A critical approach to Mortons work will determine how accurate his work is for contemporary archaeological investigations of fur trade posts. Furthermore, this thesis may provide historical archaeologists with insights as to how to go about identifying fur trade posts, which will contribute to our overall understanding of the western Canadian fur trade.

The late Arthur Silver Morton has contributed immensely to our understanding and preservation of western Canadian history. One of Mortons joys was locating remains of long forgotten fur trade posts. As a result, a large number of the Saskatchewan fur trade posts that we know of were located and recorded by Morton. The majority of Mortons investigations took place throughout the 1930s and 1940s. Morton consulted whatever historic sources were available to him at the time: numerous historic documents, ethnographic accounts and local histories.<p> There has been archaeological evidence that suggests Morton misidentified numerous fur trade post sites. For example, research at the Hudsons Bay Companys South Branch House (1786-1794), which Morton identified in 1944, has sparked some controversy as to whether or not it is that particular post. As a result, this provides the author with an excellent chance to examine how Morton identified Saskatchewan fur trade posts and to determine through archaeological excavations and historical documents the accuracy of Mortons historical site designation at South Branch House.<p> A critical approach to Mortons work will determine how accurate his work is for contemporary archaeological investigations of fur trade posts. Furthermore, this thesis may provide historical archaeologists with insights as to how to go about identifying fur trade posts, which will contribute to our overall understanding of the western Canadian fur trade.

Using trap data the Hawdon, Poulter and South Branch valleys, a spatial distribution model was created for Stoats (Mustela erminea), Ship Rats (Rattus rattus) and Weasels (Mustela nivalis) in the North Branch of the Hurunui River. Ten spatial attributes were analysed in this thesis as potential spatial predictors of Stoats, Ship rats or Weasels; four of which were distance related measurements (distance from ecotonal edge, distance from river, distance from river tributary and distance from trapping edge); three were climate based variables (mean maximum temperature, mean minimum temperature and mean precipitation) and three were topographical based variables (elevation, aspect and slope). Relationships that existed between each spatial attribute and the number of Stoats, Ship Rats and Weasels caught were quantified by comparing the significance of the mean trapping rate with each spatial attribute and expressed spatially as maps in a Geographical Information System (GIS). Results from this thesis found elevation, aspect and distance from ecotonal edge as potential spatial predictors of Stoat populations. Elevation and aspect were found to be potential predictors of Ship rat and Weasel populations. GIS is able to predict the spatial distribution of pest species to a similar (or better) level compared to more formal associative models. The potential of GIS is however, restrained by the same limitations associated with these models. By using a larger trapping data set and identifying a number of social interactions between Stoats, Ship Rats and Weasels, one can improve the accuracy of spatially modelling each species within a Beech forest environment. Therefore, improve our understanding how landscapes influence the distribution of each pest species.

In the mid-nineteenth century Métis society re-established itself west of Red River in the Saskatchewan country. This thesis tells the long overlooked story of the English Métis of the Prince Albert Settlement, beginning with James Isbisters initial farm in 1862 and the wave of Métis who followed him west in search of a better life. Questions of Identity, Politics, and Religion are answered to place the English Métis in the historical context of the Métis nation and the events of the Canadian states institutional expansion onto the Western prairies. The place of the English Métis vis-à-vis their French, First Nations, and Euro-Canadian neighbours is examined, as are their attempts to secure a land base and continued collective identity under pressures from hostile state and economic forces. Their importance in the events of the period which would have long lasting national and local significance is also examined. A survey of the community and the changes it went through is given from the initial settlement period to the dissolution of the English Métis as a recognizable collective force following Louis Riels uprising.

In the mid-nineteenth century Métis society re-established itself west of Red River in the Saskatchewan country. This thesis tells the long overlooked story of the English Métis of the Prince Albert Settlement, beginning with James Isbisters initial farm in 1862 and the wave of Métis who followed him west in search of a better life. Questions of Identity, Politics, and Religion are answered to place the English Métis in the historical context of the Métis nation and the events of the Canadian states institutional expansion onto the Western prairies. The place of the English Métis vis-à-vis their French, First Nations, and Euro-Canadian neighbours is examined, as are their attempts to secure a land base and continued collective identity under pressures from hostile state and economic forces. Their importance in the events of the period which would have long lasting national and local significance is also examined. A survey of the community and the changes it went through is given from the initial settlement period to the dissolution of the English Métis as a recognizable collective force following Louis Riels uprising.

Using trap data the Hawdon, Poulter and South Branch valleys, a spatial distribution model was created for Stoats (Mustela erminea), Ship Rats (Rattus rattus) and Weasels (Mustela nivalis) in the North Branch of the Hurunui River. Ten spatial attributes were analysed in this thesis as potential spatial predictors of Stoats, Ship rats or Weasels; four of which were distance related measurements (distance from ecotonal edge, distance from river, distance from river tributary and distance from trapping edge); three were climate based variables (mean maximum temperature, mean minimum temperature and mean precipitation) and three were topographical based variables (elevation, aspect and slope). Relationships that existed between each spatial attribute and the number of Stoats, Ship Rats and Weasels caught were quantified by comparing the significance of the mean trapping rate with each spatial attribute and expressed spatially as maps in a Geographical Information System (GIS). Results from this thesis found elevation, aspect and distance from ecotonal edge as potential spatial predictors of Stoat populations. Elevation and aspect were found to be potential predictors of Ship rat and Weasel populations. GIS is able to predict the spatial distribution of pest species to a similar (or better) level compared to more formal associative models. The potential of GIS is however, restrained by the same limitations associated with these models. By using a larger trapping data set and identifying a number of social interactions between Stoats, Ship Rats and Weasels, one can improve the accuracy of spatially modelling each species within a Beech forest environment. Therefore, improve our understanding how landscapes influence the distribution of each pest species.