Brabant, Angus

He was the son of F. X. Brabant and Mary (MacDonald) Brabant.

He married Josephine DuChambeau, daughter of Hon. George DuChambeau.

He was of Belgian decent, his grandfather came to Canada from Belgium and settled in Quebec. Mother Scottish. Mr. Brabant will celebrate his 40th anniversary with the Hudson’s Bay Co., 31 May 1926. Outfit year (an out fit year runs from June 1st to May 31.

He joined the Hudson`s Bay Company as an Apprentice clerk in 1886 and after serving at Manitoba House, Cumberland House and Fort Smith he became Inspector of the Athabaska dist.

In 1905.

He was Manager of Mackenzie River Dist.

From 1908-1920 during which periods he established posts on the Arctic Coast.

In 1920 he became Trade Commissioner. In performance of his duties he visited the Company Post in the Western Arctic 1925, traveling in the Company Schooner, Fort MacPherson. Brabant retired 1927.

He was a member of Manitoba Club, Country Motor Club, Southwood Golf Club. A brief sketch, copied from The Beaver, The Hudson’s Bay Co. Journal, November, 1920: “In the Mackenzie basin, the name of Angus Brabant is synonymous with bull-dog tenacity of purpose. Many hold him to be the greatest buyer of furs who ever went into the far north country above Edmonton. In addition to speaking English, Mr. Brabant speaks French, Cree, Ojibway and Chipewayan. A keen trader, aggressive merchant, captain of men, Mr. Brabant has reached the Fur Commissionership after thirty-five years of arduous duty with the company, Cumberland House and other posts. Post Manager at Chipewayan, 1898; to get to this post necessitated a 500 mile dog mush across a blizzard-swept country, this he covered following the creeks, rivers and chain of lakes, reached Lac la Hatchet on December 25th, and had their Christmas dinner of frozen fish and tea on the ice at midlake. Early in January after more than a month of perilous travelling Mr. Brabant reached his new post at Chipewayan, where his family joined him in the spring by way of Edmonton and Athabasca. From Chipewayan two years later he went to Fort Smith, Slave River, north of its junction with the Peace. Here he rejuvenated the post from the lowest on the list of H.B.Co. posts to one that was alive and in many instances the returns trebled. It was a saying around Fort Smith, that ‘No furs ever got away from Angus Brabant.’ His keen devotion to duty, his business ability and organizing energy won for him the post of District Inspector for Athabasca in 1904, headquarters at Edmonton. Here he served for three years, when he was appointed District Manager for Mackenzie (1908).

In 1916 he moved his headquarters south to McMurray where he served until his appointment as Commissioner. Mr. Brabant’s remarkable control of men is widely reputed at posts and outposts throughout the great territory in which he has served the Company. Bullying tactics have never been a part of his method. His men have never feared him. Indeed the Company’s servants, the Indians, trappers, traders and boat men all along the Athabasca, the Slave and the Mackenzie, clear down to Eskimo land know him, respect and love him for his directness, simplicity and quiet power.”

Fort Brabant (NT);