Voyageur’s Blog
Ask a voyageur a question
Here’s a blog to answer your questions, like what was life like during the 1800s in French Canada? Like who could or couldn’t be a voyageur? How big the canoes were? What trade goods they carried? What different furs were worth? What they used for medicine? I’ll answer these and more in the “A Voyageur’s Life” blog. Click on the button below to ask your question or go to the “Contact” section of this site — I’ll find the answers.
Did voyageurs use the same campsites each night they were traveling?
Did voyageurs use the same campsites each night they were traveling? Or did they find new ones all the time? (Cliff) It was the easiest for voyageurs to stay at a site they knew, and could choose campsites depending on where along the route they were. Because they...
How much was a beaver fur worth?
How much was a beaver fur worth? What could Native Americans when they traded for their furs? What did they want most? What was worth the most? (Tyler, age 14) To answer these questions, look on the Resources page for “Value of One Beaver.” I’ve posted a list of some...
How much was a French livre worth?
Did you find out how much a French livre is worth? How much money did voyageurs earn? Is that the kind of money voyageurs got paid with? (Peyton, age 11) This answer comes from Dave Dittmer, of Cousin Dave Silversmith. In addition to creating beautiful silver work, he...
What is it like to “become” a voyageur at Fort William Historical Park?
What is it like to “become” a voyageur or another character at Fort William Historical Park? Is it fun or hard to do? (Mikaela, 14) Jenni Grandfield, who works at Fort William Historical Park in Thunder Bay, Ontario, answered the question for me: I'm studying art at...
Is that a real voyageur on the book cover?
Is that a real voyageur on the book cover? Is it a real birch bark canoe? (Justin, age 13) This voyageur is a “historic interpreter” who works summers at Fort William Historical Park in Thunder Bay, Ontario. The photo was taken by Jenni Grandfield, who spends her...
Why were the Nor’westers’ tents in neat rows at the rendezvous?
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....
No wonder Nikki Rajala writes about voyageurs—her French-Canadian ancestors paddled birch bark canoes on many fur trade brigades. One great-great wintered for 16 years in fur posts west of Lake Superior and threads of family stories infuse this book. On Girl Scout canoe expeditions as a teen, she explored Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Ontario's Quetico Provincial Park. Nikki loves rendezvous re-enactments, reading fur trade journals, visiting museums, tasting voyageur foods.
