by Nikki Rajala | Jul 2, 2026 | Voyageur
In the last days of June 1793, John Macdonell and two partners shifted cargo out of their canoe and moved their belongings into an express canoe, with more paddlers so as to travel as fast as possible to the rendezvous. Leaving the remaining crew to transport...
by Nikki Rajala | Jun 12, 2026 | Voyageur
John Macdonell’s account began when he signed his contract on May 10, 1793, with his first-ever canoe brigade ( Part 1). After a month upstream on the Ottawa and Mattawa Rivers (Part 2 and Part 3) and a few days’ rest, this section recounts how his brigade...
by Nikki Rajala | Nov 26, 2017 | Featured
The writings that have survived from fur traders are full of inventive spellings — like Lac Ouinipique or Ouisconstan. Can you guess where they are? There weren’t many literate people in the fur trade. Most voyageurs signed their contracts with an X. The clerks’...
