The Mapmaker's Omission: A fur trader's map to gold, a trail of cataclysmic change, and BC's escape from American annexation.

In the year British Columbia stood on the brink of falling to the Americans, a fur trader’s map to BC’s gold was published in San Francisco with a glaring omission. Pulling from explorers’ narratives, fort journals, and over 7,000 kilometres of travel, Klassen weaves a narrative of ambassadors and alliances, fat fish and furs, and revenge and reconciliation on unexpected trails in long-forgotten Oregon Country. From these stories an alternate history emerges of Indigenous Peoples graciously hosting the first European traders, leading their fur brigades on ancient trading routes, and integrating them into their diverse and dynamic world—both economically and relationally.

A personal encounter with mazelike geography and untold history, The Mapmaker’s Omission reveals what vanished in cataclysm when today’s Pacific Northwest was charted. It also shows that real gold is mined when we dig down to, and challenge, our foundational beliefs.

If you’ve ever wondered about the genesis of the First Nations unceded land claims in BC or been curious about how a chunk of Canada got wedged between the states of Washington and Alaska, read this book. They are one and the same story.