by Nikki Rajala | Oct 27, 2019 | Voyageur
What totally inspires wanna-be voyageurs like me? The impressive lakes of the north woods, of course. Bill and I were fortunate to be on those amazing waters that were part of the voyageurs’ highway. We were invited to spend a September weekend on Bear Island of Crane...
by Nikki Rajala | Nov 30, 2018 | Featured
Did voyageurs ever intersect with Quakers? In “Voyageurs: A Novel,” Margaret Elphinstone used that concept to tell the story of the fur trade, sharpening the differences between the two very dissimilar groups. The tale follows a young English Quaker who’s received a...
by Nikki Rajala | Aug 10, 2018 | Voyageur
Where in the world is André? Are the waters really treacherous? Please give me a map so I can see where “Treacherous Waters” takes place. Taya, 15, Blake, and Kjell, 13, (Time for maps, one of my favorite tasks.) For a kid in French-Canada in the early...
by Nikki Rajala | Jul 3, 2018 | Voyageur
What was it like at a rendezvous? Could we still see what happened? Would it be safe for kids? (Taya and Brinn, age 13) In the 1800s, voyageurs celebrated for most of July at the rendezvous. After six weeks (or more) of paddling full-tilt from either Lachine with...
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’...
