History of the SS. "Beaver." Being a Graphic and Vivid Sketch of this Pioneer Steamer...on the Placid, Island-Dotted Waters of the North Pacific. Also Containing a Description of the Hudson's Bay Company...
Vancouver, B.C. 1894.
First Edition. Hardcover. Very good. 99 pp, illustrated. A very good copy in original burgundy boards, title stamped in gilt on front board. Light rubbing to corners, paper partially split over front hinge, small repair to front free endpaper. Gift inscription dated 1930 on verso of front free endpaper from Joseph "Happy Jack" Pollard (a well-known early resident of Lytle Creek Canyon, a remote community northwest of San Bernardino, California), as well as a later note from the inscribee, Holman Curtis. Curtis was an early resident and historian of the San Bernardino Valley. The S.S. Beaver, launched in 1835 and owned by the Hudson’s Bay Company, was the first steamship to operate in the Pacific Northwest and made remote parts of the west coast of Canada accessible for maritime fur trading. In addition to a history of the steamer and the Hudson's Bay Company McCain's work includes (per the title page) a "biography of Captain McNeil. The Narrative of a Fraser River Prospector of 1859. Historical Momentoes of the Beaver's Copper Remains. The sad ending of the author's last trip in search of old-time naval relics. Important developments in steam since its introduction in 1789, etc." Smith 6206, Graff 2572, Howes M-26. Howes references the presence of a commemorative medal, but none appears to have accompanied this copy.
Item #22492
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