Orcadians were chosen not just because of being used to nasty weather, but
because they were considered reliable.
Reliability for the HBC in those days meant taking on a HBC post for 20
years or so without going home and without going crazy. Many married
aboriginals and had an "away" family which rarely went home with the retired
factor (HBC post manager) Some men stayed on, many did not. As an aside,
in the 19th and early 20th Century, some of the hottest aboriginal
archeological finds were made in Orkney --- some things that had been
shipped home decades before no longer existed in North America.
Rory
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ellen Price" <Whirlbat@sympatico.ca>
To: <sinclair@quarterman.org>
Sent: Sunday, December 01, 2002 4:21 PM
Subject: Re: The new Pictures
> Just out of interest, the Hudson's Bay Company intentionally recruited
> Orkadians because they figured they were used to nasty weather and such.
>
> Also, out of interest, Doug and Murray Wilson (formerly of Chicago
> BlackHawks) have a Sinclair mom. (cousin of my Mom)
[ Excess quotations omitted. ]
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