Voyageurs (; ) were 18th- and 19th-century French people and later French Canadians who transported furs by canoe at the peak of the North American fur trade. The emblematic meaning of the term applies to places (New France, including the and the ) and times where that transportation was over long distances, giving rise to folklore and music that celebrated voyageurs' strength and endurance. They traversed and explored many regions in what is now Canada and the United States.
Despite their fame, their lives were arduous and not nearly as glamorous as folk tales made out. For example, they had to be able to carry two bundles of fur over portages. Some carried four or five, and there is a report of a voyageur carrying seven bundles for half a mile.Mike Hillman, "La Bonga: The Greatest Voyageur" Boundary Waters Journal Magazine, Summer 2010 Issue, pp 20–25 Hernias were common and frequently caused death. Most voyageurs started working in their early twenties and continued working until in their sixties. They never made enough money to consider early retirement from a physically grueling lifestyle.Louise Dechêne, Habitants and Merchants in Seventeenth-Century Montreal, Montreal: 1992, p. 122
Fur trading was done by canoe and largely by French Canadians. In the fur trade context, the word also applied, to a lesser extent, to other fur trading activities.The Coureur de Bois Chronicles of America http://www.chroniclesofamerica.com/french/voyageurs_to_the_back_country.htm Retrieved August 2011 Voyageurs were part of a licensed, organized effort, a distinction that set them apart from the . Additionally, they differed from (hired men, actually indentured servants),Population: Social Groups Virtual Museum of New France http://www.historymuseum.ca/virtual-museum-of-new-france/population/social-groups/ Retrieved February 2015 who were much smaller-scale merchants and general laborers. Mostly immigrants, the were men required to go anywhere and do anything their masters told them as long as their indentureship was still in place. Until their contract expired, were servants of their masters, who were most often voyageurs.Louise Dechêne, Habitants and Merchants in Seventeenth-Century Montreal, Montreal: 1992, p. 27 Fewer than fifty percent of remained in New France when their contracts ended. The others either returned to France or died while indentured.Louise Dechêne, Habitants and Merchants in Seventeenth-Century Montreal, Montreal: 1992, pp. 34-35 After the French presence in Canada ended following the British conquest during the Seven Years' War, fur trade was still continued by their descendants.
History
The early European fur trade with Indigenous peoples was not limited to beaver pelts. Beavers were not particularly valued and people preferred "fancy fur" or "fur that is used with or on the pelt". The fur trade was viewed as secondary to fishing during this era.Harold Adam Innis, The Fur Trade in Canada, pg.9-12 The earliest North American fur trading did not include long-distance transportation of the furs after they were obtained by trade with the First Nations; it started with trading near settlements or along the coast or waterways accessible by ship. Soon, achieved business advantages by travelling further inland to trade. By 1681, King Louis XIV decided to control the traders by publishing an edict that banned fur and pelt trading in New France.
As the trading process moved deeper into the wilderness, transportation of the furs (and the products to be traded for furs) became a larger part of the fur trading business process. The authorities began a process of issuing permits (). Those travellers associated with the canoe transportation part of the licensed endeavour became known as voyageurs, a term which literally means "traveller" in French. The fur trade was thus controlled by a small number of Montreal merchants. New France began a policy of expansion in an attempt to dominate the trade. French influence extended west, north, and south. Forts and trading posts were built with the help of explorers and traders. Treaties were negotiated with native groups, and fur trading became very profitable and organized. The system became complex, and the voyageurs, many of whom had been independent traders, slowly became hired laborers.The Canadian Frontier 1534–1760 by W.J. Eccles University of Toronto Published by University of New Mexico Press Albuquerque 1983 (revised addition) Original edition 1969, published by Holt, Rinehart and Winston Inc.
By the late 17th century, a trade route through and beyond the Great Lakes had been opened. The Hudson's Bay Company opened in 1670. The North West Company opened in 1784, exploring as far west and north as Lake Athabasca. By the late 18th century, demand in Europe grew substantially for marten, otter, lynx, mink and especially beaver furs, expanding the trade and adding thousands to the ranks of voyageurs. The American Fur Company, owned and operated by John Jacob Astor, was founded in 1808. By 1830, the American Fur Company had grown to monopolize and control the American fur industry.
From the beginning of the fur trade in the 1680s until the late 1870s, the voyageurs were the blue-collar workers of the Montreal fur trade. At their height in the 1810s, they numbered as many as three thousand.Carolyn Podruchny, Making the Voyageur World: Travelers and Traders in the North American Fur Trade, Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press (2006), p.4 For the most part, voyageurs were the crews hired to man the canoes that carried trade goods and supplies to trading locations where they were exchanged for furs, and "rendezvous posts," such as Grand Portage at the western end of Lake Superior.Nute, Grace Lee.The Voyageur. Copyright 1931 by D. Appelton and Company First reprinting Minnesota Historical Society 1955, or 0-87351-213-8The Voyageurs Highway Nute, Grace Lee. Minnesota Historical Society June, 1941 Standard Book Number 87351-006-2, Library of Congress Card Number 65-63529 They then transported the furs back to Lachine near Montreal, and later also to points on the route to Hudson Bay. Some voyageurs stayed in the back country over the winter and transported the trade goods from the posts to farther away French outposts. These men were known as the (winterers). They also helped negotiate trade in indigenous communities. In the spring they would carry furs from these remote outposts back to the rendezvous posts. Voyageurs also served as guides for explorers such as Pierre La Vérendrye. The majority of these canoe men were French Canadian; they were usually from Island of Montreal or seigneuries and parishes along or near the Saint Lawrence River; many others were from France.
Voyageurs were mostly illiterate and therefore did not leave many written documents. The only known document left behind for posterity by a voyageur was penned by John Mongle who belonged to the parish of Maskinongé. He most likely used the services of a clerk to send letters to his wife. These chronicle his voyages into mainland territories in quest of furs.Carolyn Podruchny, Making the Voyageur World: Travelers and Traders in the North American Fur Trade, Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press (2006), p.6
Three major influences molded the lives of voyageurs. First, their background of French-Canadian heritage as farmers featured prominently in their jobs as voyageurs. Working as a voyageur was seen as a temporary means of earning additional income to support their families and expand their farms.Carolyn Podruchny, Making the Voyageur World: Travelers and Traders in the North American Fur Trade, Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press (2006), p.12 Most voyageurs were born in New France. However, fur trading was not an everyday experience for most of the colonial population. Roughly two thirds of the population did not have any involvement in the fur trade.Louise Dechêne, Habitants and Merchants in Seventeenth-Century Montreal, Montreal: 1992, p. 120 The second influence came from indigenous communities. Voyageurs learned from indigenous people how to survive in the regions they travelled and adopted many traditional methods and technologies. Voyageurs also brought Western materials and techniques that were valued by the communities they encountered.Carolyn Podruchny, Making the Voyageur World: Travelers and Traders in the North American Fur Trade, Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press (2006), p.13 The final influence was the social structure of the voyageurs life. Since this group was limited to men , it was highly masculine. These men engaged in activities such as gambling, drinking, fighting; interests which were reserved for men of this trade.
Types: voyageurs, , and The terms voyageur, , and have had broad and overlapping uses, but their meanings in the context of the fur trade business were more distinct. Voyageurs were canoe transportation workers in organized, licensed long-distance transportation of furs and trade goods in the interior of the continent. were entrepreneurial woodsmen engaged in all aspects of fur trading rather than just transportation of furs and trade goods. The came before the voyageurs, and were partially replaced by them. For those who continued, the term picked up the additional meaning of "unlicensed".Wein, Tom, "Coureurs des bois". The Canadian Encyclopedia Tom Wien 02/06/2006 Another name sometimes given to voyageurs is , indicating a hired wage-earner.The People of New France By Allan Greer University of Toronto Press / 0-8020-7816-8
There were several types of voyageurs, depending on the job that they carried out. Because of their diet, which consisted largely of salt pork, voyageurs who travelled only between Montreal and Grand Portage were known as (pork eaters) a derogatory term. These men were seasonal workers employed mostly during the summer months to transport goods which could weigh as much as four tonnes by canoe. Up to ten men could be required to safely navigate with so much on board. They would travel to the western end of Lake Superior to drop off their goods.Carolyn Podruchny, Making the Voyageur World: Travelers and Traders in the North American Fur Trade, Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press (2006), p.25 Those who overwintered were called (northern men) or (winterers). Those who were neither primarily traveled the interior (beyond Grand Portage) without wintering in it. They would pick up the goods from Lake Superior and transport them inland over large distances. Because of their experience, approximately one-third of the became .Carolyn Podruchny, Making the Voyageur World: Travelers and Traders in the North American Fur Trade, Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press (2006), p.27
Value to the fur trade industry
The voyageurs worked for trading companies such as the North West Company (NWC) and the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC). They retrieved furs from all over North America but were especially important in the rugged Athabasca region. Athabasca was one of the most profitable fur-trade regions in the colonies because pelts from further north were thicker and of superior quality to those trapped further south.
Originally the HBC was content to stay close to its trading posts along the shores of Hudson Bay and have indigenous trading partners bring the pelts to them. However, once the NWC began sending voyageurs into Athabasca it became easier for indigenous trappers to simply trade with them than to make the long trek to Hudson Bay.Englebert, Robert. Diverging Identities and Converging Interests: Corporate Competition, Desertion and Voyageur Agency, 1815–1818. Manitoba History, 2007, 55, 2. As a result, Colin Robertson sent a message to the HBC London Committee in 1810 suggesting that they begin hiring French Canadian voyageurs of their own:Englebert, Robert. Diverging Identities and Converging Interests: Corporate Competition, Desertion and Voyageur Agency, 1815–1818. Manitoba History, 2007, 55, 1.