by Nikki Rajala | Jun 25, 2016 | Voyageur
What was it like to paddle on a canoe brigade? Did voyageurs ever write about it? Did voyageurs keep journals? (Renner, 12; Carsyn, 13; Blake, 11) In 1793, John Macdonell left Lachine to begin serving as a North West Company clerk—and he kept a journal! This post...
by Nikki Rajala | Sep 14, 2014 | Featured
Why were the Nor’westers’ tents in neat rows at the rendezvous while the Montrealers were a jumbled mess? (Bruce) The historic interpreters at Grand Portage National Monument told us that only the Northmen rated tents — a concession to the long distance they traveled....
by Nikki Rajala | Sep 4, 2014 | Featured
Do voyageurs still gather for a rendezvous? Where could my family go to see one? (Gabi, 14) You can visit a rendezvous with costumed historical interpreters of Native Americans, voyageurs, traders and lots of fun activities to show how things were done. Here are some:...
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 | 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...
