by Nikki Rajala | Sep 27, 2026 | Voyageur
Q: What gave the voyageurs hope against impossible odds? A: Two things: Protection from Ste. Anne, supplemented by a wealth of Native lore and seafaring beliefs. Peter Pond, describing his brigade’s departure in 1773: (Read Pond’s words aloud to better...
by Nikki Rajala | Aug 1, 2026 | Voyageur
This book came out a year ago. It’s taken me more than a year to consolidate my thoughts into a post. While I requested permission to reprint images and quotes, I never heard back, so the only artistry I can show are the covers of Gawboy’s work. “Fur Trade...
by Nikki Rajala | May 9, 2026 | Voyageur
In 1793 John Macdonell left Lachine to serve as a clerk for the North West Company — and he kept a journal! While he commented on the trek up to Lake Winipic, I’m focusing on the first half of his journal — when his brigade left the Montreal area to their...
by Nikki Rajala | Feb 16, 2026 | Featured
For youth, Bigfork’s tiny public library had one short shelf of biographies, jacketed in red and yellow, illustrated with black and white drawings. After finishing the life stories of all the women (maybe 7 total), I kept on, reading about men like Lewis and...
by Nikki Rajala | Dec 9, 2025 | Voyageur
Q: How did voyageurs celebrate Christmas? A: Not like we do. Our favorite holiday traditions hadn’t been invented yet, so no Ho-Ho-Hos, no Santa, no tree or decorations, no cookies or concerts, no Nutcracker or Christmas Carol performances, no Grinch or Charlie...
