Podcasts – Simon Fraser

Simon Fraser: The Harrowing Descent of the Fraser River

Gough dedicates an episode to Simon Fraser, one of the most daring and underappreciated figures in Canadian exploration. Unlike Mackenzie, who traveled established fur-trade routes, Fraser ventured into truly unknown territory.

In 1808, Fraser led an extremely hazardous expedition to determine whether the Fraser River was a navigable route to the Pacific. His journey was one of extreme peril—rushing rapids, sheer cliffs, and hostile terrain made the passage nearly impossible. Fraser himself described it as “a river that no man should ever risk navigating.”

What makes Fraser’s expedition particularly dramatic is the sheer physical danger involved. Gough paints a vivid picture of Fraser and his men maneuvering treacherous rapids in crude canoes, often being forced to portage over near-vertical canyon walls. In some places, they had to lower their canoes down the cliffs with ropes.

Adding to the difficulty, Fraser encountered tense relations with local Indigenous groups, some of whom had been warned about violent encounters with Europeans elsewhere. His ability to negotiate with these communities was crucial to his survival.

Though he never actually reached the Pacific (he was forced to turn back at what is now Vancouver due to hostility from the Musqueam people), his expedition proved that the Fraser River was not a viable trade route. However, it did open the interior of British Columbia to European settlement and trade. The river he braved was later named in his honor.

Gough’s exploration of Fraser’s story highlights the grit and resourcefulness of this early Canadian explorer and the immense challenges he faced in one of the most dangerous expeditions in North American history.