"Having left the immigrants by the Norman Morrison washing clothes ∧c [sic]. It may be as well to trace them further.
They were all located in the Fort, in one or more of the large block buildings. Very little preparation had been made for their reception excepting that bunks had been fitted up for sleeping places, as though they were still on board ship - in fact for the most part this was the fashion of housing the Hudson's Bay Company employees - The officers had Bachelors Halls or residences in the Fort. The married immigrants were housed in the same way (there were only three or four married ones) but soon they had divisions curtains and so forth - everything was in the rough.
They had to cook their own food - supplied with this and wood - in fact had to help themselves.
As soon as they tumbled into conditions they appeared tolerably satisfied and were set to work on the farms or doing any labour that might be required. It was not very long."
B.C. Archives
J.S. Helmcken's Reminiscences
AddMss 505 volume 12
"But little washing or laundry work was considered necessary in the early days of the fur trade. Woolen garments were chiefly in use; cotton too were worn, but on this coast woollen principally. Coloured cotton shirts were worn over the woollen article."
B.C. Archives
Roderick Finlayson
Description of Vancouver Island and the Northwest Coast
A/B/30/F49.1
Walk Back to The Bachelours Hall
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