Acknowledgements

My sincere thanks to Jennifer Keyser and Scott Rook of the Oregon Historical Society and Heidi Pierson of the National Park Service for their assistance in tracking down the only known images of John McLoughlin Jr. and his mother, among others. Thanks also to Theresa Langford, curator for the National Parks Service, for helping me search for McLoughlin’s current gravesite. My undying gratitude to the archivists at Library and Archives Canada, who worked small miracles to get me materials in whatever ridiculous timeframes I gave them — I am truly thankful. Praise and gratitude also flow to the good folks at the provincial Archives of Manitoba, home to the Hudson’s Bay Company Archives. I would like to single out Sjoeke Hunter and Mandy Malazdrewich in particular for thanks. A tip of the hat is also due Kelly-Ann Turkington, permissions/licensing officer for the Royal BC Museum.

There are some lovely people up in Wrangell, Alaska, who helped track down the ghosts of Fort Stikine, including local historian Bonnie Demerjian and Carol Rushmore, economic development director of the City and Borough of Wrangell. Kay Jabusch, librarian at Irene Ingle Public Library in Wrangell, hunted down some sources. A heartfelt thanks to you all.

Words cannot express my gratitude to the wonderful people who work the reference desks at the Killam Library at Dalhousie University and the Spring Garden branch of the Halifax Public Library for all their help. As always, I am indebted to Dorothy, Ken, and Sandy at the Annapolis Royal branch of the Annapolis Valley Regional Library for their willingness to push the interlibrary loan system of the Nova Scotia library system to its limits.

Thanks also to the Eastend Arts Council, the Arts Council of Saskatchewan, and the generous citizens of Eastend, SK, for bestowing on me the Wallace Stegner Award for the Arts 2014. I loved every minute I spent in Wallace’s historic home, and it was the perfect place to revise this manuscript.

Photographer Dan Froese has the patience of a saint and is deserving of some sort of award for what he has to put up with when working with me, but my sincere thanks will have to suffice. I am also indebted to my literary agent, Carolyn Swayze, for helping this book series see the light of day. Thanks also to an unsung group of heroes, friends, and early readers who have offered support, a kind word, or a kick in the pants as needed: Dr. Sarah Lathrop, Paula Sarson, Dr. Stephanie Davy-Jow, Karen Fowler, Dorothy McDonald, “Richard the Fabulous,” and so many more.

I have been incredibly lucky to have found a home for this series at Goose Lane Editions. My heartfelt thanks to Susanne Alexander, Julie Scriver, Martin Ainsley, Angela Williams, Kathleen Peacock, Colleen Kitts-Goguen, Chris Tompkins, Viola Spencer, and everyone who had a hand in bringing these books to life. Special thanks are due to my editor, Sarah Brohman, and copy editor, Audrey McClellan — you both made me a better writer, and for that I am eternally grateful.

Finally, a shout-out to Dr. Kent Fowler, a master of technologies modern and ancient, for working magic with his computer and rescuing more than a week’s worth of archival research. You saved the day, Kent.