John James Cochrane

His Obituary, from the Winnipeg Tribune on April 4, 1950:
Helped Build "Fort", Northern Pioneer Dies. The Pas, April 4 - one of the builders of the historic Fort Garry and later official guide for the original Hudson Bay Railway survey, John James Cochrane, died in his 90th year March 31 in a Brandon hospital.
Until three years ago, he had made his home in The Pas, after an adventurous lifetime which carried him through the north.
He was born in Selkirk, Man. a direct descendant of the Lord Selkirk settlers, and worked with his father on the construction of the fort as a boy.
At the age of 17, he was already recognized as an excellent woodsman and was commissioned to guide a party of British parliamentarians through northern Manitoba, from Selkirk up Lake Winnipeg, over to the Nelson River and back via Reindeer Lake to The Pas and down the Saskatchewan River.
The trip was made 70 years ago, but is recalled as an important influence on British colonial policy.
Old-timers recall Mr. Cochrane had built a home (in The Pas) on the site of the local Bank of Montreal building. When the bank was planned, he moved his house and it became the first house on what is now Taylor Avenue,in 1908.
During the Riel Rebellion, he brought soldiers from Selkirk to Grand Rapids by boat.