B.C. journalist Stephen Hume has said that fur trader and explorer Simon Fraser should be celebrated as the founder of British Columbia. Certainly, the achievements of the Scottish-descended United Empire Loyalist adventurer were impressive. During three extraordinary years, 1805-1808, Fraser undertook the third major expedition (after Alexander Mackenzie s and Lewis and Clark s) across North America, culminating in his famous journey down the river in British Columbia that now bears his name.

Employed by the Montreal-based North West Company, Fraser was responsible for building...