Gabriel Franchère [1786–1863]
b. 1786 — Montréal, Quebec
d. 1863 — St. Paul, Minnesota
French Canadian author and explorer of the Pacific Northwest. Franchère was born in Montreal and joined the Pacific Fur Company as a merchant apprentice, arriving at Fort Astoria on the Tonquin. After Astoria was sold to the North West Company, Franchère returned to Montréal overland in 1814. He was employed for a time by John Jacob Astor in Montréal. He wrote Narrative of a Voyage to the Northwest Coast of America, published in 1819.
Sources of biographical information about Franchère:
Events in the Mount Robson region in which Franchère was involved:
- 1814 Franchère crosses Athabasca Pass
Works pertinent to the Mount Robson region of which Franchère was author or co-author:
- — Relation d’un voyage à la Côte du Nord-Ouest de l’Amerique Septentrionale. Montréal: 1820
- — and Lamb, William Kaye [1904–1999], editor. Journal of a Voyage to the Northwest Coast of America, in the years 1811, 1812, 1813, and 1814. Toronto: Champlain Society, 1969. Internet Archive
