ɪn wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd θˈɜːɾi nˈaɪn dʒˈɔːɹdʒ sˈɪmpsən, ðə ɡˈʌvɚnɚɹ ʌvðə hˈʌdsənz bˈeɪ kˈʌmpəni ˌeɪtʃbˌiːsˈiː, dᵻɹˈɛktᵻd pɪˈɛɹkɹˈɪsəlˌɑːɡ pˈæmbɹʌn, ðɪ ˌeɪtʃbˌiːsˈiː klˈɜːk ɪn tʃˈɑːɹdʒ ʌv fˈɔːɹt nˈɛz pɜːsˈeɪz wˈɔlə wˈɔlə, tə skˈaʊt ˈaʊt ɐ tɹˈeɪl ˌoʊvɚ ðə kɐskˈeɪd mˈaʊntɪnz fɹʌm wˈɔlə wˈɔlə tə fˈɔːɹt nˈɪskwɑːli ɪn sˈʌðɚn pjˈuːɡɪt sˈaʊnd, wˌɛɹ sˈɪmpsən plˈænd tə sˈɛɾəl ɐ ɡɹˈuːp ʌv fˈæmɪliz fɹʌm ɹˈɛd ɹˈɪvɚ kˈɑːləni tədˈeɪz wˈɪnᵻpˌɛɡ, mˌænɪtˈoʊbə.
In 1839 George Simpson, the governor of the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC), directed Pierre-Chrysologue Pambrun, the HBC clerk in charge of Fort Nez Percés (Walla Walla), to scout out a trail over the Cascade mountains from Walla Walla to Fort Nisqually in southern Puget Sound, where Simpson planned to settle a group of families from Red River Colony (today’s Winnipeg, Manitoba).