In the early 1800s, the North West Company posted a German-born fur trader by the name of Jean Steinbruck in the Great Slave Lake area. During the difficult winter of 1802, he demonstrated one of the more unusual uses of birchbark. Because he had no supply of paper, Steinbruck began writing journal entries on small sheets of birchbark that were part of his canoe repair kit. The company required him to keep a record of his contact and transactions with the Aboriginal people around the post.

It is suspected that canoes en route to the post were caught during freeze-up and were unable to deliver their supplies. Jean Steinbruck died in the service of the North West Company two years after writing what has come to be called The Yellow Knife Fort Journal.

The original Yellow Knife Fort Journal was acquired by the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre from a private collector in 2000, and now resides in the museum's permanent collection.

Reference:
Steinbruck, Jean. The Yellowknife Fort Journal. Winnipeg: Nuage Editions, 1999.