by Nikki Rajala | Feb 7, 2020 | Voyageur
I get confused as to the timeline of events in New France–when were the first explorers out there, the major wars, the big fur companies. (Maybe I was sick that day in school. Maybe you were too?) So I decided I needed a short “cheat sheet” to refer...
by Nikki Rajala | Jan 24, 2020 | Featured
Did voyageurs ever have fun? What did they during the winter? (Erin, 11, Taylor, 9) Usually winterers were busy with their Native American customers, because hunters visited fur posts during the autumn to start trading. But then came winter, when it was harder to...
by Nikki Rajala | Dec 27, 2019 | Featured
You thought I made a mistake on the date? Nope, I was curious — what kind of paddles did the fur trade brigades prefer? Surprise! They aren’t paddles like we see nowadays. Read more to discover the characteristics of the best paddles from an earlier century! For...
by Nikki Rajala | Dec 14, 2019 | Voyageur
Wondering what books to offer your youngsters to read over the cold winter? Here are a batch I’ve appreciated for their thorough information and enjoyed for their story.Just in time for someone’s Christmas stocking. In alpha order by book title — so...
by Nikki Rajala | Nov 22, 2019 | Featured
I’m having way too much fun finding about voyageur contracts. Look what history you can piece together from these contracts.* These are possible ancestors, all from Sorel. To illustrate the available info, I’ve created voyageur trading cards with some of...