Where does “Waters Like the Sky” take place? (Kris)
“Waters Like the Sky” starts in a small village near Quebec, Canada, not far from Montréal. Find the St. Laurence River on the right side of map, and Montréal is where the river divides.
The canoe brigade travels westward on the Ottawa River and others in order to bypass the big waters of Lakes Ontario and Erie. That route brings them into the Georgian Bay on the north shore of Lake Huron. They stop at Michilimackinac, at the falls (or “sault”) on the Ste. Marie River, between Lake Huron and Lake Superior.
The brigade follows the northern shore of Lake Superior until they reach Grand Portage (in today’s Minnesota), the site of the rendezvous. After the rendezvous, the pork-eaters return to Montréal; many winterers cross the almost-nine-mile Grand Portage and head into the far north.
André and his canoemates continue to the western-most point of Lake Superior where they begin paddling on the St. Louis River. This river leads them over the Savannah portage to the “Father of Waters” (the Mississippi).
It’s fun to compare the old map (about from the 1780s) to the satellite image taken in 2000. Considering the technology they had available, their map making skills were amazing.
Nikki