Note 163 — Chapter XXIII
J. V. (Jedediah Vincent) Huntington translation
This is one of the earliest descriptions extant of the Athabascan Pass between British Columbia and Alberta. It was discovered in 1810-11 by David Thompson (see his account in Henry-Thompson Journals, pp. 668, 669). Franchère’s “J. Henry” is unidentified, probably it refers to William Henry who crossed the year following Thompson’s passage. The lake which forms the source of the Athabasca is known as “Committee’s Punch Bowl.”—Ed.