Fur Brigade Trail

The Hudson’s Bay Brigade Trail, also known as the Fur Brigade Trail or the Okanagan Brigade Trail, was one of the earliest commercial trails in the Okanagan Valley. The trail started in Fort Vancouver in what is now the state of Washington, and it went east along the Columbia River. Then it went through the Okanagan Valley and continued on to Fort St. James. It was called the Fur Brigade Trail because the trail was used to take supplies and trade goods from England to the fur trappers in the interior. Supplies going north included food, dry goods, and tools. Trade goods included guns, blankets, pots and pans, and other items to trade with the First Nations people for furs. The trail was also used to take furs out to world markets. From 1810 until 1846, many furs from the BC interior were transported along the Fur Brigade Trail through the Okanagan Valley.