Simon Fraser 1776-1862
Text from the plaque
This famous fur trader and explorer, son of a Loyalist officer, was born in what is now Vermont and came to Canada in 1784. He entered the fur trade with the North West Company in 1792 and in 1805 was placed in charge of operations west of the Rocky Mountains. In 1808, while searching for a water route to the Pacific, Fraser descended the turbulent river which bears his name. The skill and daring required to traverse those 800 km with their violent whirlpools and rapids makes this feat one of the most outstanding in the exploration of Canada. Retiring from the Company in 1817, he settled on this property where he farmed and operated mills.
Transcribed from the marker, not summarised.
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The United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry
The Township of South Stormont
On the corner of Road 18 and Valade Road
3.4 km west of St. Andrews
N 45 05.408 W 74 50.213
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Visitors' notes
February 4, 2011
Numerous records show that Fraser was born in Mapleton, Hoosick District, New York. It's darn close to the border of what, in 1777, would become Vermont, but it's not Vermont and never was. That aside, why do some Ontario plaques take care to name U.S. states, but then say "Canada" as if it's comparably specific?! I'd expect such a vague reference from a foreign author, not a domestic one. So Fraser "came to Canada in 1784" did he? Not really. He arrived and first settled with his family at Coteau du Lac, in the British colony of Quebec, the name that had supplanted 'Canada' since 1763. Soon, he moved to St. Andrew's West, which was also in the vast province of Quebec, and now lies in Ontario. The French colony of Canada (New France) had ceased to exist before Fraser ever arrived. Its name would later be incorporated into two colonies--Upper and Lower Canada (1791)--but would not appear as a distinctive geographic name until 1841, and the creation of the new Province of Canada. When plaques say "Canada", beware! It's often so vague as to be geographically meaningless, and sometimes, as here, historically inaccurate. -Wayne