François Beaulieu

François Beaulieu II
Born	1771 Northwest Territories, Canada
Died	November 1872 Salt River, Northwest Territories, Canada
Occupation	Metis leader, chief, interpreter, guide

François Beaulieu II was a chief of the Yellowknife tribe (1771 – November 1872). He was an Arctic guide and interpreter who played an important role in exploration of the Northwest Territories of Canada.

He was a Metis, the son of François Beaulieu and Ethiba, a woman of Chipewyan and Cree descent. The circumstances of his childhood are speculation at present. As a young man, requested for his knowledge of the region, Beaulieu accompanied Sir Alexander Mackenzie on his overland trek to the Pacific in 1793. In 1820 he met Arctic explorer, John Franklin, and provided him with valuable information regarding a base camp on the Dease Arm of Great Bear Lake for his planned exploration to the mouth of the Coppermine River. (Franklin was unable to follow Beaulieu's advice, possibly resulting in the loss of life on that journey).

Beaulieu was the guide and interpreter on the second expedition from 1825–27 which was based at Fort Franklin on the west shore of Great Bear Lake. His knowledge and input into the planning and completion of this trip made it the most successful of its kind in the Canadian Arctic.

Beaulieu was well known as a chief of his tribe as well. As a chief of the Yellowknife tribe, Beaulieu became the "terror" of the neighboring tribes of Dogribs, Slaveys and Sekanis; he is said to have killed 12 of the last group with his own hand. He and his followers settled on the Salt River, where he maintained a trade in salt retrieved from the river with the Hudson's Bay Company, which granted him a monopoly. He was still active as a hunter at the age of 85 and lived to be just over 100.

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