THOMAS DOUGLAS SELKIRK:

Microfilmed transcripts of correspondence, journals, business records, diaries, and other papers relating to Lord Selkirk and his colony on the Red River near the present site of Winnipeg, Canada, made by the Public Archives (now National Archives) of Canada. The original papers were destroyed by fire in Scotland in 1940. Reels 1-20 (National Archives of Canada Reels C-1 to C-20) comprise 80 (or 79) volumes of handwritten transcriptions made during 1906-1910. Reel 21 (National Archives of Canada Reel A-27) contains typescript transcriptions of private correspondence relating to the Red River Settlement, made in 1941.

Among the letters is a group (1816-1817) written by several of Selkirk's men who wintered at fur trading posts in northern Minnesota, including many by Pierre Chrysologue Pambrun. Also present is a group of North West Company papers, dated as early as 1798, found by Selkirk when he captured that company's post at Fort William (Ontario) in August 1816.

Many letters in the collection are in French and seem to have been transcribed by someone unskilled in the language. Consequently, care must be taken in deciphering them to avoid confusing transcription errors with misspellings that may have occurred in the original letters.

Description was taken from Bruce M. White, compiler, The Fur Trade in Minnesota: An Introductory Guide to Manuscript Sources (St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society, 1977), entry no. 93a.

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A three-part finding aid created by the National Archives of Canada consists of an inventory to the papers and includes an index and a calendar:

Part 1. Inventory with index to names and topics.

Part 2. Calendar to volume 1 - volume 30, page 9044.

Part 3. Calendar to volume 30, page 9048 - volume 80.

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Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Use Restrictions:

Photocopies of documents may be made from his microfilm for research purposes. Citations must credit the National Archives of Canada as holder of the original transcripts. Use of specific items as illustrations in publications, exhibits, or Web sites requires permission from the National Archives of Canada. Inquiries regarding purchase of microfilm reels should be directed to the National Archives of Canada.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Selkirk, Thomas Douglas. Lord Selkirk papers. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Microfilm Production:

Ottawa, Canada : Canadian Library Association, 1950.

Location of Originals:

Original Transcripts: National Archives of Canada; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Alternate Form Available:

Also available online in digital format at: http://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.lac_mikan_100745

Accession Information:

Accession number: 11.466

Processing Information:

Processed by: Lydia Lucas, May 2001

Catalog ID number: 990082583530104294

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A microfilmed copy of a complete calendar of papers in this collection is in the Minnesota Historical Society manuscript collections as: Calendar of Lord Selkirk papers in the Public Archives of Canada.

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This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:

Fur trade -- Canada.

Fur trade -- Minnesota.

Persons:

Pambrun, Pierre-Chrysologue, 1782-1841.

Organizations:

Fort William (Ont.)

National Archives of Canada.

North West Company.

Places:

Red River Settlement.

Document Types:

Microforms.

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