The genesis of 'A Journey to the Northern Ocean': A dissertation concerning the transactions and occurrences related to Samuel Hearne's Coppermine River narrative, including information on his letters, journals, draft manuscripts, and published work

Between 1769 and 1772 fur trader Samuel Hearne made three attempts on behalf of the Hudson's Bay Company to locate the long-rumoured Northwest Passage and the northern copper mines in the Canadian Arctic. During the trips, he recorded his experiences in a series of journals. Twenty years later, Hearne submitted a manuscript for publication, having transformed his journals into a narrative describing his adventures as well as reflecting upon two decades of experience managing Churchill, one of the HBC's busiest trading posts. In 1795, Samuel Hearne's A Journey to the Northern Ocean was revealed to the public and immediately garnered wide interest. Over two centuries later, the book continues to attract readers. It has become one of the best known examples of early Canadian literature. Historians and anthropologists have utilized Hearne's book for its wealth of observations concerning the Dene; the book is the cornerstone of much of this scholarly literature, particularly regarding the historic Chipewyan. Scholars generally believe that Hearne's observations represent a direct transmission of the events as he witnessed them during his travels. However, Hearne's role in the production of the published journal is a source of debate, some scholars going so far as to argue that a ghost writer was responsible for the majority of the text. The main problem with any theory about the creation of A Journey to the Northern Ocean is that much about its genesis remains unknown. Through biographical, bibliographical and internal analysis, I have established that Hearne was capable of writing the text, had the motivation and opportunity to do so, and therefore was, indeed, the author.