Beaver skins were a valuable commodity of North America in the 17th century. New France (known as Quebec Province, Canada today) nearly monopolized the collection and export of furs to Europe. You’d think the furs would be valued as a source of leather or the natural resource used to fashion beautiful coats, stoles and gloves. Instead, it was the hair that was most valuable as it was processed into very fine, waterproof felt. The felt was fashioned into hats that were a stylish and very expensive accessory for the well dressed gentleman and his lady.
In North America, crews of French, French-Canadians and American Indians paddled 30’ birch-bark canoes, filled with up to three tons of supplies, into the back country. There job was to restock a chain of fortified trading posts the French had built throughout the Great Lakes and along major rivers. These posts secured the French fur-trade monopoly.
The canoe men were called “voyageurs”, which means “travelers”. Their strength and endurance is legendary. They worked up to 14 hours a day, paddled 55 strokes per minute as they sang lively songs. Some days they could move their canoe up to 70 miles. When they could go no further by water, they (portaged) carrying their canoe and supplies across dry land that separated the lakes and rivers they traveled. Few voyagers could swim. Many drowned in wild white-water rapids or in sudden squalls as they were crossing Great Lakes. It has been said that their huge Birch Bark canoes were so fragile that one large wave would break them in half. Hence, if the weather was threatening, the voyageurs would wait ashore.
A bundle of furs weighed about 90 lbs. Bundles of trade goods were packed to weigh the same. A routine portage meant each voyageur must carry 2 bundles (180 pounds) at a time, across rugged, sometimes muddy trails. Every ½ mile or so the men set down their bundles and ran back for 2 more.
There were two types of voyageurs: the pork eaters (mangeurs de lard)) and the winterers (hivernants).
The men who paddled from Montreal to the rendezvous at Grand Portage and returned to civilization lived on a diet of salt pork. . . so were called pork eaters.
Some men transported the merchandise deeper into the wilderness and stayed at a winter outpost and lived “off the land”. These men were called “winterers”. Winterers traded for furs in native villages and in the spring transported the furs to a rendezvous post.
The furs were transported from these rendezvous posts to Montreal and Quebec where they were shipped to France.
In North America, crews of French, French-Canadians and American Indians paddled 30’ birch-bark canoes, filled with up to three tons of supplies, into the back country. There job was to restock a chain of fortified trading posts the French had built throughout the Great Lakes and along major rivers. These posts secured the French fur-trade monopoly.
The canoe men were called “voyageurs”, which means “travelers”. Their strength and endurance is legendary. They worked up to 14 hours a day, paddled 55 strokes per minute as they sang lively songs. Some days they could move their canoe up to 70 miles. When they could go no further by water, they (portaged) carrying their canoe and supplies across dry land that separated the lakes and rivers they traveled. Few voyagers could swim. Many drowned in wild white-water rapids or in sudden squalls as they were crossing Great Lakes. It has been said that their huge Birch Bark canoes were so fragile that one large wave would break them in half. Hence, if the weather was threatening, the voyageurs would wait ashore.
A bundle of furs weighed about 90 lbs. Bundles of trade goods were packed to weigh the same. A routine portage meant each voyageur must carry 2 bundles (180 pounds) at a time, across rugged, sometimes muddy trails. Every ½ mile or so the men set down their bundles and ran back for 2 more.
There were two types of voyageurs: the pork eaters (mangeurs de lard)) and the winterers (hivernants).
The men who paddled from Montreal to the rendezvous at Grand Portage and returned to civilization lived on a diet of salt pork. . . so were called pork eaters.
Some men transported the merchandise deeper into the wilderness and stayed at a winter outpost and lived “off the land”. These men were called “winterers”. Winterers traded for furs in native villages and in the spring transported the furs to a rendezvous post.
The furs were transported from these rendezvous posts to Montreal and Quebec where they were shipped to France.
0 comments:
Post a Comment