William Tomison was a Scottish fur trader who helped found and build a number of trading posts for the Hudson's Bay Company such as the Edmonton House.
Whilst the smallpox epidemic occurred Tomison's journals showcased the sheer work that had and the employees at Cumberland House to be put in to try and help the Aboriginal people.
For the duration of two years Tomison was at the Lake Winnipeg and gained invaluable education that helped set him apart from other Hudson Bay Traders.
In 1767 Tomison became one of Hudson Bay's inland travellers from York Factory He was one of the earliest employees that were sent to network and create vital connection with the First Nations.
Many Indians refused to trade and directly make deals with him which was arguably, one of the reasons that jeopardised Tomison moving higher.
"[2] However due to his observation there were new strategies put in place, the traders made the decision to avoid the Natives from seeing them so they shipped furs during the night.
[citation needed] At the beginning of the 1780s there was an outbreak of smallpox in Western Canada, the Northern Great Plains which severely affected the villages and the population reduced drastically in size by about 70-80%.
The personal account also shows the impact it had on people that knew those that died and the effect it had on their lives, or the extent it affected both communities.
"[8] The personal accounts from William Tomison expose the true feelings of one working first hand in the fur trade and having to negotiate, experiencing the epidemics and starvation that spanned across Western Canada.