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James Sinclair was the Métis son of Chief Factor William Sinclair and his Cree-Métis wife Nahoway (Margaret) Norton. Sinclair started working for the HBC as a twenty-one year old apprentice in 1826. In 1841, at age 35, Sinclair was hired by Governor Simpson to lead an emigration party to the Columbia River area where they were to be settled on the Cowlitz River. Upon returning to Red River from this journey, Sinclair established contacts with American fur traders. He imported American goods and became involved in establishing the “cart line” from the settlement to St. Paul, Minnesota. Sinclair left Red River to become a citizen of the United States in 1849. On 26 March 1856, Sinclair was shot and killed in an Indian attack while on Hudson’s Bay Company business. |
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