Trail to the Interior

by R.M. Patterson

Reliving the adventures of past explorers. Trail to the Interior is R. M. Patterson's rich account of exploration and personal adventure in the Cassiar district of British Columbia. The trail is the historic track from Wrangell, Alaska, along the Stikine and Dease rivers and across the height of the land into the valleys of the Liard and the Mackenzie. Explorers and traders of the Hudson's Bay Company and the Russian American Company had ventured this river route, and Raymond Patterson followed in their footsteps.

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Andrew Fehr · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting trip done during an unusual time period for adventuring. I appreciated learning about the Stikine-Dease region since I had minimal prior knowledge of the area but I found the book a tad boring. RM Patterson’s own journey was not that eventful and he revels in sharing minute details such as changes in the direction of wind. I wished his descriptions of the trips of the explorers and fur traders and Indigenous people who utilized the route before him took up a larger amount to the book.

[Lib · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wished there could have been more description of the land, though there was some... The historical anecdotes were great.

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beyond excellent. A riveting adventure with echoes of the past history of those water routes and settlements. A must read for anyone interested in the history of northwestern British Columbia.

[Pat Tucker]

R. M Patterson was a banker in England when he decided to go to Western Canada to explore. This is a well-written book completely out of the realm of any experiences I have had or will have. He writes not only about his own experiences but he includes accounts of explorers from the 1800s.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. I just really wished he would have made it all the way to Frances Lake. I was a little disappointed when he just flew away and the book ended.