Coureur des bois
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- "voyageurs" redirects here. For the US national park, see Voyageurs National Park.
A coureur de bois was an individual who engaged in the fur trade without permission from the French authorities. The coureurs de bois operated during the late 17th century and early 18th century in eastern North America. The term literally means "runner of the woods".
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[edit] Background
During the 17th century, the fur trade was very lucrative for New France. Competition was fierce, and many colonists ventured west and north from the settled territory around Montreal to the pays d'en haut, or "upper country" (the area around the Great Lakes) to seek out Native trappers to trade with. These coureurs de bois were not looked upon favorably by Montreal authorities and royal officials. They disapproved of settlers leaving the developing agricultural areas to seek their fortune trading. The French authorities would rather let the transportation of furs be handled by the natives rather than independent unregulated colonial traders, who were bringing in so many furs that the market was oversupplied. However, after the destruction of the Huron Confederacy by the Iroquois Confederacy, they became a necessity, and their numbers increased greatly. This traffic in furs also undermined Montreal's role as the focal point for the fur trade—where traders would exchange beaver pelts for trade goods such as clothing, muskets and copper pots. Some of these illicit traders also caused problems by trading alcohol for furs.
Some coureurs de bois became famous, including Étienne Brulé, Louis Joliet, Médard des Groseilliers, Pierre-Esprit Radisson, Jean Nicolet, Guillaume Couture, Jean-Baptiste Chalifoux and Jacques de Noyon.
[edit] Voyageurs
By 1681, the French authorities realized the traders had to be controlled so that the industry remained profitable. They therefore legitimized and limited the numbers of coureurs de bois by establishing a system that used permits (or congés). This legitimization created a "second-generation" coureur de bois: the voyageur, which literally means "traveller". Voyageurs held a permit or were allied with a Montreal merchant who had one.
The fur trade was then controlled by a small number of Montreal merchants. New France also 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. Trade 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 labourers.
For the most part, voyageurs were the crews hired to man the canoes that carried trade goods and supplies to "rendezvous posts" (example: Grand Portage) where goods and supplies were exchanged for furs. The canoes traveled along well-established water routes. They then transported the furs back to Lachine near Montreal. Some voyageurs stayed in the back country over the winter and transported the trade goods from the rendezvous posts to farther-away French outposts. These men were known as the hivernants (winterers). They also helped negotiate trade in native villages. 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, or Métis. They were usually from Island of Montreal or seigneuries and parishes along or near the St. Lawrence River. Many were from Europe, and many were members of Native tribes.
The voyageurs were highly valued employees of trading companies, such as the North West Company (NWC) and the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC). Because of the effectiveness of voyageurs, the NWC was able to challenge the HBC. The HBC started hiring their own voyageurs in 1815 to help them compete with the NWC.
The voyageurs are legendary, especially in French Canada. They are folk heroes celebrated in folklore and music. The reality of their lives was that of toil. For example, they had to be able to carry two 90 pound bundles of fur over portages; more suffered from strangulated hernias than any other injury.[citation needed]
Voyageurs who only paddled between Montreal and Grand Portage were known as "mangeurs de lard" (pork eaters) because of their diet, much of which consisted of salt pork. This is considered to be a derogatory term. Those who overwintered and ate "off the land" (mainly fish and pemmican) were called "homme du nord" or "winterer". Voyageurs were expected to work 14 hours per day and paddle at a rate of 55 strokes per minute.[citation needed] Few could swim. Many drowned in rapids or in storms while crossing lakes. Portages and routes were often indicated by lob trees, or trees that had their branches cut off just below the top of the tree.
