Most sources would indicate that Fraser and 23 other men started their journey down the river at somewhere near Fort George (now Prince George) in the heart of what was later to become British Columbia. With him were 19 voyageurs (including Jean-Baptiste Boucher), two First Nations guides and two clerks--John Stuart and Jules-Maurice Quesnel. Stuart was absolutely essential in his role of canoe-builder and later assisted Simon Fraser with his journal. Fraser later named a river--the Quesnel--after his other clerk, who was just 22 at the time of the 1808 voyage. The voyage down the river was precarious, and food and other resources were scarce. However, with a great deal of assistance and guidance from First Nations people along the way, he made it to the mouth of the river in little more than a month.

For an excerpt of Simon Fraser's journal, and his impressions of the area that we now call Quesnel, click here Simon Fraser's journal.