In 1862, William Hind (brother of Henry Youle Hind)
joined the Overlanders, a group of goldseekers who crossed
the Prairies in search of the goldfields of the Fraser
and Cariboo regions. During the trip, Hind produced
a sketchbook documenting his travels. This drawing from
the sketchbook shows a ferry loaded with oxen and carts
crossing the Assiniboine River. River crossings were
only one of many challenges the Overlanders faced as
they opened the undeveloped trails of the West.
Born in Nottingham, England, William Hind attended
the Nottingham Government School of Art and Design.
In 1852, he moved to Toronto to join his brother Henry
Youle Hind. Trained as a professional artist, William
Hind taught drawing at the Normal School in Toronto
for a number of years before joining the Overlanders.
Numbering about 150, the Overlanders chose not to
follow the normal sea routes to British Columbia but
to travel overland through present-day western Canada.
This route had been advocated by Hind's brother who
had recently returned from his expedition to Red River.
Hind and the Overlanders journeyed by train from Toronto
to St. Paul, Minnesota, and then by steamer down the
Red River to Fort Garry where they purchased supplies
and transportation for their trek across the Prairies.
Fortunately, several members of the Overlanders kept
diaries; these complement Hind's watercolours, the
majority of which concentrate on his travels from
Fort Garry to Jasper. They show life in Fort Garry
and on the trail, and some of the difficulties the
Overlanders faced.
After a challenging journey through the mountains,
the Overlanders finally reached their destination
having covered some 5,000 kilometres since leaving
Toronto. However, few of them succeeded in mining
gold; most continued on to Victoria where Hind opened
a studio for a few years before returning east.
