Voyageur
From BWCAWiki
- For the outfitters, see Voyageur Canoe Outfitters (Gunflint Trail) or Voyageur North Outfitters (Ely).
The Voyageurs were French Canadian canoe men and traders active during the North American fur trade of the 1700s and early 1800s. Voyageurs were employees of companies with British charters, including the North West Company and the Hudson's Bay Company, and were basically the manual labor required to transport furs east to Montreal and trade goods and supplies west to company outposts and native villages. The Voyageurs were colorful characters in the history of the Boundary Waters region, wearing red sashes and singing songs in French as they paddled across the lakes.
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Early activity
Prior to about 1680, Europeans traveling and trading in the pays d'en haut, or area north and west of Lake Superior, were acting more or less independently. They were refered to as the courier des bois, or "carriers of the woods".
Organization of the fur trade
Forts and trading posts were built with the help of explorers and traders. Trade treaties were negotiated with native groups, and fur trading became very profitable and organized. The system became complex, and the voyageurs, many of whom had been independent traders, slowly became hired labourers.
For the most part, voyageurs were the crews hired to man the canoes that carried trade goods and supplies to "rendezvous posts" where goods and supplies were exchanged for furs. These canoes travelled along well-established water routes, such as the modern day Border Route. They then carried the furs back to Montreal. Some voyageurs stayed in the back country over the winter and transported the trade goods from the rendezvous posts to farther-away French outposts. During this time they also helped negotiate trade in native villages. In the spring they would carry furs from these remote outposts back to the rendezvous posts. Voyageurs also served as guides for explorers (such as Pierre La Vérendrye). These canoe men typically spoke French, and were French Canadian, or Métis. They were usually from Montreal island or seigneuries and parishes along or near the St. Lawrence River.
The voyageurs were highly valued employees of trading companies such as the North West Company (NWC) and the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC). Because of the effectiveness of voyageurs, the NWC was able to challenge the HBC. The HBC started hiring their own voyageurs in 1815 to help them compete with the NWC.
The voyageurs are legendary, especially in French Canada. They are folk heroes celebrated in folklore and music. Without the voyageurs and the coureurs de bois before them, there would have been no fur trade and therefore the settlement of much of North America would have taken a different direction. Explorations that led to the opening of the West would not have occurred, and the relationship between Europeans and natives would have been much different.
References
Parts of this article are originally from WikipediA, The Free Encyclopedia.
