by Nikki Rajala | Aug 31, 2014 | Voyageur
What happened at the voyageur rendezvous at Grand Portage? Was it every summer? (from Jessa, age 12) The rendezvous took several weeks each summer, so the North West Company could basically swap loads of their employees — the canoemen who had traveled from distant...
by Nikki Rajala | Jul 31, 2014 | Voyageur
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...
by Nikki Rajala | Jul 15, 2014 | Voyageur
What were voyageurs paid in the early 1800s? Were there different skills that voyageurs needed? (Rachel, age 15) Good question. They received trousers and a shirt or two, a blanket, tobacco and food while working. And money — 400 livres (I’ll find out how much that...
by Nikki Rajala | Jun 30, 2014 | Voyageur
Could anyone become a voyageur in the 1700s or 1800s? (Dylan, age 15) Nope. If you were tall — over 5 feet 6 inches tall, your legs wouldn’t fit in the canoe. So that was one requirement. Voyageurs had to be strong, willing to work long hours and live apart from their...
by Nikki Rajala | May 30, 2014 | Voyageur
What is a voyageur? (Avalyn, age 13) Think of the word “voyager” — a person taking a voyage or a trip. Voyageurs were canoemen who traveled about 1,200 miles, from near Montreal, Quebec, Canada, to Grand Portage (on the Minnesota side of Lake Superior) — and...
by Nikki Rajala | May 14, 2014 | Voyageur
In April, the fur companies in or near Montreal, Canada, were busy organizing the spring brigades — inspecting new canoes, repacking trade goods, selecting canoemen, signing contracts. In May, as soon as the fur companies received word that the ice was gone from the...
