In the fall of 1862 John Robert Giscome and Henry McDame embarked on their one year, 60 km trek to explore northern BC and northern parts of what is today the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. As early as 1874 one of the creeks they discovered became known as McDame Creek. This name was officially adopted in the First Report of the Geographic Board of Canada, 1898, as a well-established local name.
The Giscome Portage Trail, designated as an official Heritage Site on July 17, 1997, commemorates their trek. The Indigenous name of the trail is Lhdesti or “the shortcut” and was long used by the Lheidli T’enneh First Nations as one of their trade routes.
Image Courtesy of Kevin Creamore, Prince George
