McLean, Donald
b. 1805
d. 1864
Donald McLean, fur trader, was born in Tobermory, Scotland. He entered the service of the Hudson's Bay Company as an apprentice clerk in 1833. After serving in the Western Department for two years, he travelled through the Snake River country and served at forts in Washington, Oregon, and Montana territory. In 1842, McLean transferred to the New Caledonia district, working at various posts including Fort Alexandria and the Chilcotin, Babine, and McLeod posts.
In 1853, he was appointed chief trader; in 1855 he took charge of Thompson River (Fort Kamloops).He was ordered to transfer to Victoria in 1860, but he resigned in 1861 to raise cattle and prospect for gold. He founded the Hat Creek Ranch on the Bonaparte River. He was killed in an ambush in 1864, while scouting alone during a search for the Indians responsible for the Chilcotin uprising.
Dictionary of Canadian Biography 9, pp. 513-14. VI 24.2.
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