by Nikki Rajala | Oct 6, 2024 | Voyageur
The blankets we call “Hudson’s Bay blankets” are actually point blankets. They have threads sewn in from one selvage to indicate size (more about that later). Their rich history predates the fur trade — they were used in Europe and by English...
by Nikki Rajala | Sep 2, 2024 | Voyageur
I meet the most interesting people whose passion is the fur trade. Greg Ingram is one, a member of the Fur Traders and Explorers, centered around Alberta, Canada. As a re-enactor, Greg has developed several first-person characters named “Gregoire” — from voyageur to...
by Nikki Rajala | Aug 1, 2024 | Featured, Voyageur
“Je suis un homme du nord.” Not just any paddler could make that boast of being “a man of the north,” or full-fledged voyageur. He had to be baptized by a veteran canoeman. In “The Voyageur’s Highway,” Grace Lee Nute says that after the annual rendezvous, large...
by Nikki Rajala | Jun 8, 2024 | Voyageur
When you visit historic sites — rendezvous posts where fur was traded — you can go back in time. All summer long, you can experience voyageurs’ lives with re-enactors sharing their skills. Enjoy period music, folk dancing, demonstrations of musketry and...
by Nikki Rajala | Apr 28, 2024 | Voyageur
Q: How DO you pronounce Michilimackinac? A: Here’s the short answer [so you won’t embarrass yourself in front of people who know]: (MISH-ə-lə-MACK-ə-naw) The area known to the Odawa Indians as Michilimackinac means “Big Turtle.” For...
