The trading districts of Columbia and New Caledonia (British Columbia), opened up by the North West Company, were taken over by the new Hudson's Bay Company. Administration of these districts was both difficult and expensive and George Simpson searched for better routes through the Rocky Mountains. The initial route was discovered by Alexander Mackenzie and followed the Peace River eastward to the Athabasca and Churchill River systems before reaching Hudson Bay. Following explorations by several individuals, Simpson inaugurated the Yellowhead Pass route west of Jasper House to serve the New Caledonia District, and the Athabasca Pass route, explored by David Thompson, at the head of the Whirlpool River south of Jasper House to serve the Columbia District. The painting depicts two brigades near present-day Jasper, Alberta, setting off across the different routes. Heavy winter snows restricted the use of horses on these routes to only a few months each year. Other mountain crossings required snowshoes, an exhausting ordeal for men carrying heavy packs.
