Cataline - Biography

Biography

In different biographies Cataline has been recorded as being born in Mexico, Spain and France. Other biographies like the one written by Sperry Cline, who knew Cataline personally, say he was born at Oloron-Sainte-Marie in Béarn, once a kingdom of France, near the Spanish border. Most accounts agree on his year of birth as 1830 -1832.

One of the most famous stories is that he used to rub whisky in to his hair. He would drink his cognac or whisky, leaving a small amount to pour into his hand, and rub it into his hair; saying "A liddle insida, a liddle outsida. Bon! She maka da hair grow!"

His packing partner was Joe Castillou, another Frenchman who was mistaken as a Spaniard; because of his name they called him 'the Castillion'. Joe eventually went his own way from Cataline's pack trail, and settled in Merritt, BC, Canada. He is commemorated in the Nicola Valley Museum in Merritt, with his son Henry Castillou, the "Cowboy Judge of the Cariboo", and alongside the display of the famous James Teit; a researcher of aboriginal culture who worked for the Chicago Museum of Natural History. J. Teit's work is known all over the world and I believe some of his work is housed in the various Smithsonians, including New York. Caux & Castillou did a lot of packing trips for James Teit, which is where young Henry acquired his taste for the local culture.

Perhaps they thought Caux & Castillou were Spanish because they used Latin words for packing, such as secundo and aparejo. It is not hard to determine where these words originated when one remembers that these men grew up at the base of the Pyrennes Mountains, which is the border of Spain & France.

Although the exact date of his arrival in British Columbia is unknown, it is recorded that he was packing at the beginning of the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush in 1858 and continued until 1912, a span of 54 years. He wore the same type of clothing year round: a boiled white shirt, heavy woolen pants, riding boots and no socks. When he had business to conduct, he added a collar, tie and a French hat to his apparel.

On every trip he brought along a chair made of birch and rawride where he would sit as he negotiated his business, while everyone else sat on the ground. Though it has been said he was illiterate, he had an excellent memory and kept his business records in his head without ever making a single note. He could sign his name with a flourish, so one must wonder if he actually was illiterate, or perhaps just keeping his business to himself.

Even though he used over sixty mules, he knew to the item what each of them carried, where they were being delivered to and what he had to charge. And although he ran mule trains for over half a century he never lost a pound of cargo, except in one instance when his secundo, upon smelling a two pound package of Limburger Cheese, decided it was rotten and threw it away. Once aware of the error, Cataline made sure it was replaced and delivered. One of the best stories about him involves a loan that he had to make after a fatal disease had killed several of his mules. The bank manager questioned Cataline's collateral, wondering how many mules and horses he owned before consenting to lend him the money. When Cataline returned to the bank in the fall to repay the debt, he counted out the exact amount owing and paid it in full. The bank manager noted that Cataline had more money on his person and suggested that he deposit it in the bank. Cataline responded with a query as to how many horses and mules the bank owned, and upon learning it was none, decided to keep his money.