James McKay

James McKay (1828 – December 2, 1879) was a fur trader, pioneer, and pre-Canadian confederation politician and interpreter. Early life James McKay was born in 1828 at the Hudson's Bay Company's Edmonton House, the son of James Charles (b. 1797, Scotland) and Marguerite Gladu (b. 1809, Métis, Cumberland House). He was a brother to Angus McKay. McKay was educated at the Red River Colony and began work with the HBC in 1853 as a fur-trader and guide/interpreter. Many distinguished visitors sought him out as a guide; he often met the HBC governor, George Simpson in Crow Wing, Minnesota, and escorted him to Upper Fort Garry. In 1857, while at Fort Ellice, he was engaged to guide the John Palliser party from Fort Ellice (St Lazare, MB) through the Saskatchewan plains to its winter quarters at Fort Carlton, Saskatchewan. McKay married in 1859 and left the HBC in 1860, going into business for himself. He established his home west of the Forks in present-day Manitoba and quickly became involved in this community. He was made a member of the Council of Assiniboia in 1868, and caught up in the hostilities in the Red River Colony between 1869 and 1870. Because of his Métis heritage, he chose to leave the community for a short time. On his return, he was made a member of the provisional government. James' brother, Angus McKay, was active in the political unrest of the time.