Brief History of the Fur Trade and the Voyageurs

When did the fur trade begin?

French explorers discovered the abundance of fish off the east coast of Canada and the US in the late 1400s. Thousands of fishermen sailed over to take advantage of the bounty. When the Europeans explored more of the coast they eventually came in contact with the native Ojibwa tribe. The Ojibwa people wore clothes made out of beaver fur and other animal skins. The fishermen traded items such as iron kettles and guns for the beaver skins. The European fishermen also learned the customs and local languages of the Ojibwa and many men married Ojibwa women. The beaver was an animal essential to the native peoples’ survival. The furs were used as clothing to keep them warm and they would also pile up beaver skins to sleep on. Beaver meat was considered a delicacy, especially the fatty tails. Even the beaver teeth were used to make cutting tools.

How did the Ojibwa travel across the lakes?

In order to survive in these northern climates on land dotted by lakes, the Ojibwa invented an ingenious boat light enough to be carried from lake to lake. These boats are known as birch-bark canoes. The canoes made travel deep into the wilderness possible providing greater expanses of hunting territory. The Europeans soon copied the birch-bark canoes to allow them to travel far out to find furs and to establish trading posts where foreign goods were traded with furs trapped by the Ojibwa.

Who did the Europeans hire to establish the trading posts?

In the 18th and 19th centuries, a colorful group of French Canadian men known as the voyageurs were hired by the fur trading companies to travel thousands of miles to trade for furs. The trading company was located in Montreal and was known as the North West Company. The North West Company was eventually taken over by the British who changed the name to the Hudson's Bay Company.

The voyageurs made very little money and usually signed contracts for 1-3 years of work. Many signed on again as soon as their contracts expired. These men had a passion for adventure and the extreme rugged life; they traveled for months at a time with heavy loads on their canoes. Their journeys took them across lakes and land. Probably the greatest challenge they faced was carrying the goods across land. The overland trails they used are known as portages. Some portages were only a few yards but others were as long as 12 miles over rocky, hilly terrain. Most of the time the voyageurs had to hack their way across the portages but sometimes they came across paths cleared by the Ojibwa.

The French Canadians living in the St. Lawrence Valley had peaceful and friendly relations with the local Ojibwa. In fact many of the voyageurs were part Ojibwa and when the voyageurs set off on their long journey across country they traded with them. They traded cooking supplies, alcohol, beads, trinkets, guns, ammunition, blankets, sewing supplies, flour, and salt.

How far was the voyageurs' journey?

Since the beavers were heavily trapped on the east coast, the trappers had to move further and further inland to find animals. The best quality furs came from the more northern climates. The entire journey was about 3,000 miles from Montreal to Lake Athabasca! The journey was broken down into two major sections with a trading post in Grand Portage near Lake Superior as the meeting point. Some voyageurs spent their time paddling the 1,000-mile route from Montreal to Grand Portage. This group was met by the voyageurs who paddled the 2,000-mile northwestern part of the route calling themselves the "men of the north." The voyageurs would all meet up in Grand Portage in mid-July to trade the furs from the north with the assortment of supplies from the east.

What time of the year did the voyageurs set out?

One of the major concerns for the voyageurs was the weather. The timing of their departures was key because they could only travel when the lakes thawed. The lake ice usually goes out in May and comes back in October. These men had about 5 months to cover their routes. The men who started in Montreal wintered over in Montreal while the "men of the north" wintered at Fort Chipewyan on Lake Athabasca.

What type of canoes did the two different kinds of voyageurs use?

The men traveling from the east coast to Grand Portage and back used large 36-foot canoes called Montreal canoes. Most of the journey was spent on rivers and the Great Lakes so they needed large boats. Fleets of canoes set off on the route at the same time. These canoes fit crews of 8-10 men and were made from birch-bark around cedar frames. Each canoe was loaded with about 3 tons of goods for trade. The goods were put in 90-pound bales, which the men had to carry over the portages. This journey took 6-8 weeks.

The "men of the north" used smaller canoes that were lighter to carry over the many portages. The "North Canoes" were 25 feet long and held 5-6 men.

What were some of the dangers the voyageurs faced?

The men had to negotiate rapids in the rivers and steep, hard going portages. They would portage around the really treacherous rapids but sometimes instead of unloading and carrying all the gear they would run the rapids. This tactic saved time when done successfully but proved to be deadly for some crew members when the canoe tipped in raging rapids. The voyageurs traveled about 79 miles a day and only ate two meals per day. Each man was required to carry 8 bales across the portages. This usually required 4 round trips to collect all 8 bales. The men would stop to sleep at around ten o'clock and usually slept underneath the overturned canoes. The voyageurs sang all day long to keep their rhythm and also to help them keep their minds off the excruciating work they were doing.

When the canoes needed repair, the men could mend them with tar, which they brought along, and also with the birch-bark found along the entire route. This was convenient to find the materials growing wherever they traveled.

What type of fur was traded?

The fur trade was a booming business during the 18th and 19th centuries. The most valuable fur was that of the beaver. Beaver was popular in fashion during that period so the demand for their skins was extremely high. The under fur of the beaver was a superior material for felting hats. The fashionable people in Europe all wanted beaver skin felt hats so thus began the huge trading operations in the US and Canada. Other furs such as marten, mink, otter, and fox were popular too but the beaver was special because of its usefulness in the hat making industry. The trade seemed to please the Ojibwa too because they acquired useful household items for the furs they trapped and used in the winter and then sold in the summer.

When did the trade slow down?

Beavers were so heavily trapped that they became close to extinction in the north woods. At this point the industry was forced to slow down. Also with the advent of the railway and motorized boats the voyageurs became obsolete. Fortunately, the beavers have made a come back over time and their populations are increasing.

Did you know that beavers played such a vital role in the history of the United States and Canada?

It is remarkable that the unassuming beaver is responsible for the exploration, development, and settlement of most of the continent.

If you get a chance to visit the north woods, take a walk along some of the portages and imagine the songs of hard working voyageurs carrying hundreds of pounds of trade goods across miles of land and then loading up the canoes to proceed along to the next lake.

Sources

Haworth, P.L. 1921. Trailmakers of the northwest. Harcourt, Brace and Company, New York.

Hilfiker, E.L. 1990. Beavers: Water, wildlife, and history. Windswept Press, New York.

Innis, H.A. 1930. The fur trade in Canada. University of Toronto Press, Toronto.

Knauth, P. 1972. The north woods. Time-Life Books, New York.