Kullyspell House - Flipbook - Page 45
In the early 1 century, fur trade was the economic engine driving European expansion into the
North American interior. The compeon beeen the Hudson's Bay Company and the North
West Company was erce, with both enes vying for control of the lucrave trade routes and alliances with Indigenous peoples. It was in this context that Thompson was tasked with
expanding the NWC's operaons further into the Paci c Northwest, a region rich in beaver pelts
and other valuable furs.
In
1809, under the direcon of the NWC, Thompson established Kullyspell House on the
northeastern shore of Lake Pend Oreille. Named aer the Kalispel people, with whom
Thompson aimed to trade, Kullyspell House was the rst permanent European settlement in
what would become the State of Idaho. The post served as a vital link in the neork of trade
routes connecng Canada with the Columbia River basin, facilitang the exchange of goods
beeen European traders and Indigenous communies.
Constructed
by Finan McDonald, one of Thompson's trusted associates, Kullyspell House
epitomized the challenges and opportunies faced by early European settlers in the Paci c
Northwest. The post was strategically located to tap into the local fur trade, offering a gateway
to the untapped resources of the interior. However, its existence was also aught with difficules, including harsh weather condions, compeon om rival traders, and the complexies of
negoang relaonships with Indigenous peoples.
