From the mid-1820s to the early 1850s, the Hudson's Bay Company used this pass for brief periods, principally to transport leather, especially moosehides, from the Saskatchewan District to its posts in New Caledonia. The pass takes its name from Pierre Bostonais, called "Tête Jaune," an Iroquois freeman active here in the early 19th century. Originally chosen by Sandford Fleming for the CPR, the Yellowhead Pass later became part of the Grand Trunk Pacific and Canadian Northern routes, now the CNR, and later still a major highway crossing of the Rocky Mountains.