You鈥檝e probably heard of the Pony Express: the system of horse riders that allowed the Americans to deliver mail across the country in the 1860s.
In its brief year-and-a-half existence it was dangerous, wild and crossed an immense distance.
According to Peter Murphy, Canada had something similar, only ours lasted for 40 years.
The 4,200-kilometre trail wound from Hudson鈥檚 Bay to the mouth of the Columbia River. It took three and a half months to get from one end to the other and had to be traversed using boats, horses and good old-fashioned foot power.
It also crossed the Rocky Mountains, running right through Jasper.
Sept. 26, at the Jasper-Yellowhead Museum and Archives, Murphy will give a presentation outlining the spectacular history of the Columbia Express Route.
Murphy, and Hinton historian Tom Peterson, have researched the trail for over a decade and have mapped out in impressive detail where a lot of it would have been during its use from 1812 to 1853.
The two have put together an impressive series of aerial photographs showing exactly where they believe the trail would have run. They don鈥檛 have a complete picture, but what they鈥檝e discovered is impressive.
Murphy said a lot of Jasperites are familiar with the Athabasca Pass, but don鈥檛 realize exactly how significant it used to be.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of history there that people don鈥檛 know about,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e want local people to realize that, gee, when you鈥檙e hiking these trails, some of them go back to 1810.鈥�
鈥淭here are some incredible stories there,鈥� agreed Murphy.
The trail was the fastest way to move information and people from the Atlantic to the Pacific. People hitched rides along the route, often crammed into tiny spaces in boats, or wading through treacherous flood zones.
Their stories are available to us through the diaries and letters they left behind, and they paint a fascinating picture of the route鈥檚 history.
To learn more about the Columbia Express Route, visit the museum Sept. 26 at 7:30 p.m.
Trevor Nichols
[email protected]
