Page 62 - USA ROAD TRIP SUMMER of 2000

The French people of Canada lived on the rivers in present day

Ontario. By law, the farms passed to the oldest son. The others
had to find another living. Some struck out further west to

homestead, some into the clergy, some the army and others

became the Voyageurs. So the Scots owned the companies and
the French did the backbreaking work.

One group of Voyageurs signed three year contracts to be

stationed over winter in the far northwest of Canada trading with
the Indians for the furs the Indians trapped. When the first thaw

occurred in the spring, they carried those furs thousands of miles
east. They turned in their furs at Grand Potage, gathered supplies

for the next year and went back west for the next winter.

The other group of Voyageurs signed one-year contracts. Their job

was to paddle their 40-foot canoes carrying 4 ½ tons of supplies
from Montreal to Grand Portage. These supplies were for the fort

and to trade with the Indians to the west for more furs. Their trip
took 6 weeks.

They unloaded the canoe every night, hauled it up onto land,
repaired and repitched the seams and then tipping it over, used it

as a shelter for the night. They finally unloaded their supplies for
the last time at the fort. However, their work was not yet finished.

As part of their contract, they were to carry that load over the
Grand Portage Trail to the eastern terminus of the Pigeon River.

This meant carrying six 90-pound bundles 8.5 miles up and over
the Sawtooth Mountains. They did this in three trips carrying 2 of

the 90-pound bundles at a time. They then had to carry the same
weight of furs back along the trail to the Fort and load up their big

canoes for the 6-week trip home.

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