(acoustic guitar music).- [Jack] McMurray was.the heart of the North..They called it the Heart of.the North for a long time..Just everything and.anything going to the north.came through McMurray..- [Peter] So few people.know that history.and know the importance of.the indigenous population.and the shipping industry to.the history of Fort McMurray..[Jack] The kept the lifeline.of the north open for sure,.very important part.of the survival.of the northern people..There wasn't a family.that the shipping industry.didn't touch here in McMurray..It all came through McMurray..It's just a real.important river system..(guitar music).- Fort McMurray before.it was Fort McMurray,.was known as Nistawayaw,.which is in Cree means the.meeting place of three rivers..That's one of the reasons.why it was so important.was that connection and.the ability to connect.all these different watersheds..- [Christian] The.waterways were important to.transportation in Canada.in the 1700s and 1800s.in large part because.there were no other.established transportation.routes in this region..There would be very few roads,.and those roads that existed.were for walking or.for dog-sledding,.not for carriages or.anything like that..So if you were going to get.into any new regions in Canada,.you were going to.have to go off road,.and because, especially.in this region,.it's heavily.forested, it's hilly..Where it's not.hilly, it's swamp..It's very difficult.to travel anywhere..The only exception, of.course, is the waterways..(water rushing).- The voyagers, the fur.traders, came from Montreal,.and they followed the waterways,.what is now the North.Seskatchewan River..And then there's.a series of lakes.that connect in.northern Sekatchewan.and Clearwater.River runs into it,.Athabasca River,.at Fort McMurray..- It's an interesting place.because when you see.the river in Athabasca,.it just flows through quietly,.it's a lazy river,.wide and smooth..Then, as you go downstream.towards the Grand Rapids,.it narrows, the banks.become steeper, and.there's sandstone and rocks.that fall out of it, and.you really think about.how people had to work to.make their way from.Athabasca to Fort McMurray..It really was probably a.treacherous route to take..- Peter Pond was a fur trader..I believe he was an American,.and he came from the East.and set up his trading post.in Fort Chipewyan in.I think it was 1785.or very close to then..Peter Pond was attracted to.this area as a fur trader..The money they must've.made from fur trading.must have been substantial.so that they could.ship furs from here.back to Montreal.and over to Europe.to make hats or whatever.they did with them..He was the first one up here,.so that he had more.or less a monopoly.for a few years anyway.on the furs from here..Some people looked upon him.as a pretty unsavory guy..He apparently had been charged.with killing.somebody at one time,.and obviously he didn't.spend a lot of time in jail,.but his reputation.was debatable..- He was also responsible.for mapping the region,.so he worked on a map with.local First Nation guides..The maps were interesting.because they're inaccurate..And so, there's two.schools of thought.as to why they.might be inaccurate..One of them is that he.misunderstood the information.that his First Nations.guides were giving him,.the other, because.he was competitive.and somewhat violent-tempered,.he might have.deliberately fabricated.some of the details on the map.to mislead rival fur traders..Of course, it's impossible.for us to know which..- You can't imagine how.tough these guys were,.and just how well.they were in the woods.and being able to adapt to.all the different things.that they came across, rapids.and mosquitos, the flies..- You also were always against.the power of the water,.and that's a great thing.because there's a lot.of power in the water,.and sometimes you don't realize.it when you see it going by,.but there's possibilities.of undertows and currents..- [Jack] If you broke a leg,.you were in serious trouble..If you became sick,.or you had an injury,.it was almost a death.sentence for you..- Our people were.really the guides.for the new Europeans that.came into this country,.right from St. Lawrence.all the way through Canada..And they also helped.them to survive.by helping them with getting.some food and clothed them.so that they don't freeze..Because of that, the First.Nation did their work.by helping the explorers.come through Canada.and up into The Territories..- They were using canoes,.everyone had canoes..They were searching for.furs like beavers, muskrat..Depends on what time.of the year, I guess..You know, they had traveled.in the wintertime too,.and they probably.stayed in a teepee.for a couple weeks or whatever,.just lookin' for.furs, lookin' for.food, live off the land..- Those first explorers.and stuff, they were.completely and totally dependent.on their indigenous guides..If indigenous people didn't like.the people they would work for,.they would often.just leave, and it would.be really tough for the.explorers to do the jobs.that they were expected to do..- They used to use the tar.sands right off the river banks..They would collect.the tar sands,.and then use that tar.to patch out the canoes,.amongst other things that.they used the tar for..- Early 1800s, the boats.were gettin' bigger..They started using York boats..More and more supplies.were coming through,.and more fur was.being shipped out..Once the North.started opening up,.there was more need.for more fur trading,.more need for supplies,.and McMurray all of a sudden.became a very busy port..In the late 1800s, you.had a railway system.entering into the.Central Alberta area..Then, in the early 1900s,.steel craft started.moving in, steel boats..Now, you've got not.just one stern-wheeler.working on the river,.you have two or three, four..It became busier and.busier and busier..More ships were.needed, more freight,.more boats required.to move the freight,.bigger barges, more barges,.the docking system.increased tenfold..- A lot of the families.that were involved.in the earliest fur trade.and leaving guides and such,.they continued to.live in the region,.continued to work in the region,.continued to work on.the boats in the region,.right into the 1960s,.so the grandchildren of a lot.of those earliest voyagers,.Metis trackers, and.First Nations trackers,.they would later.become the captains.of some of the.earliest steam ships.that would travel on.the Athabasca River..From the cooks to the.laborers to the captains,.indigenous people.were integrated.throughout the first.steamships in the region..Number of the Metis people.and First Nations people.worked on the boats,.and they were knowledgeable.about the river,.and many of them were.pilots and captains..One of the more notable.early people on the river.was a man named,.apparently his name.was Louis Fosseneuve,.and Louis Fosseneuve was so.good at shooting the rapids.that are between Fort.McMurray and Athabasca,.and also apparently a.very good rifle shot,.that people stopped calling.him Louis Fosseneuve,.and he became known.as Captain Shot..- There is a story about Captain.Shot taking a group of nuns.from the mission in Lac.La Biche to Fort McMurray..I'm sure they were.out of their element.and a lot of squealing.went on as he took them.straight through.the Grand Rapids..The Grand Rapids are.a class six rapid,.which means basically.they're impassable.with a boat of any variety..He was brave and fearless..He did his task as he needed.to time and time again.and got the people where.they needed to go safely..- Captain Shot was probably.the most notable Metis.river pilot of his day,.and that would be.in the early 1900s..- My grandfather was the.captain of Tug McMurray..Everybody knew that my.grandpa was the captain..And I was always.very proud of that..It was something that.I thought was important..It was important for his.well-being in history,.and it was my grandpa.that did that..It was always sumpin'.I looked up to..- One of the more famous.pilots on the Athabasca River.is a gentleman named Billy Bird..Billy Bird was a.Metis gentleman who,.I believe, he grew.up in Fort McMurray,.but he was probably the.most well-known captain.on the Athabasca River..His boat was the Radium Miner..He is quoted as saying,.\"There's nothing.finer than the Miner.\".- My father was.Captain Billy Bird..Well, before my dad, his.dad was a steamboat captain.and worked on the.Athabasca River,.and his dad's dad.I guess it would be.was on their steamboats too..We had a old radio at home,.we knew when his ETA was when.he was comin' in to McMurray..We just about knew.when what time.he'd be pulling in.with his barges,.so we'd head down to see him..He'd stay maybe for.a couple of days,.and then he'd leave again.for another couple of weeks..- You couldn't get.one of them captains.on any vessel to get excited..They were so calm and collected,.and they knew what.they were doing..These guys were good..I'm sure if you.blindfolded them,.they could come down.that river blindfolded,.they were that good..- Everybody talks.about a captain,.and that person's really famous,.you know, just like an actor..That's what I'd think.when I was small,.when I'd see Billy Bird,.you know, famous person..I wanna be that too,.I wanna be famous..Everybody will know me if.I was a captain (chuckles)..(calm music).- In the 70s, it started.really dying out..Now, all of a sudden,.things are changing..You have a railway now.that's going to a river..Once they established.a docking facility.and a harbor system.in Hay River,.that changes McMurray, big time..McMurray loses the.freight for all the north.on the MacKenzie, basically,.and it was sorta sad.to see it all go..It started dying out,.and we went down from.almost eight tugs.in this area at one.time down to two..We stayed at two for several.years in the 70s and 80s,.and then it just died out..In 1997,.pretty well ended it,.that's when they.pulled everything out.and never put it.back in the water..(water rushing).(branches breaking).- About as far as I know,.this could be the last.resemblance of a paddle-wheeler.that plied our river system..What we are looking.at is the remains.of the steamship McMurray..There's the width.of it right here,.if you take a look across..It's gotta be at.least 40 feet or more,.and she had to be 80 feet long..It is massive..They brought her down.here, tied her up,.and nature took its course..The ice picked it.up off the river.and moved it into the island,.shoved it into the island.during river breakup,.and she's never.moved since then..- I couldn't just let.the boats go to hell,.to junk like some of 'em were..Nobody really knew what.was gonna happen to them..The government didn't even know..So, we approached them and said,.hey, we'd like to.preserve these boats,.and we started the ball rolling..- [Jack] The Fort McMurray.Historical Society at that time.sent a letter.to the Minister of Fisheries,.requesting that they consider.giving us first opportunity.to obtain the boats..Can you donate them to us,.and we will keep them in.a museum-type atmosphere..- [Tom] The boats were acquired..There were moved from the.shipyard that was there then..They moved them here..- We began really developing.those assets, restoring them,.making sure that they were.fit for public consumption,.developing the.property around it,.and developing the.interpretation for it..We were able to open.in 2014 to the public.and have been slowly developing.that asset since that time..- So it's preserved,.and it'll be preserved.for generations..And for me to bring my kids here.or people that.aren't from McMurray.and take them through and.walk them through the boat.and tell them what it did.is an eye-opener for them,.because honestly when.you come down this road.and you see these boats,.they're awfully big boats.for the middle of nowhere,.Northern Alberta..Without any explanation,.they're just nothing..(quiet music).(outboard engine whirring).- There was sumptin'.about it, it just....You're traveling.in a river valley..You got this scenic view.that most people.could only dream of..You're moving big.articles in the water,.your barges, and you can.hear the water runnin' by..That was McMurray,.and, you know, it was a.big part of Canada too..You have to think McMurray.did a lot for the development.of all the north and.for Western Canada..It deserved keeping..It deserved to keep a.big part of our history,.and I think we're.all glad we did..(peaceful music).
