ADVENTURERS IN THE NEW WORLD: THE SAGA OF THE COUREURS DES BOIS - REVIEW

For the past decade I’ve been researching and blogging about my French-Canadian ancestors and their involvement, not only in the fur trade, but also the exploration of North America.

A couple of months ago I acquired a somewhat rare and highly collectible book. I recommend it to anyone interested in the history of the Canadian fur trade…

REVIEW 

“ADVENTURERS IN THE NEW WORLD: THE SAGA OF THE COUREURS DES BOIS”

Written by Georges-Hébert Germain, Jean-Pierre Hardy, Canadian Museum of Civilization
Published by Canadian Museum of Civilization, 2003 - Social Science - 158 pages

SYNOPSIS

They explored North America, from the St. Lawrence River to the Mississippi, ranging from the Atlantic Coast to the Rocky Mountains and beyond.

From the Huron, Iroquois, Algonquin, Sioux, Blackfoot, Cheyenne, and Comanche, they learned to travel the rushing rivers and to survive in the deep forests and on the open prairie.

Many of these hardy adventurers ended up abandoning their European roots and adopting the culture and way of life of the peoples they lived among. With their Indian brothers and wives, and their mixed-blood children, they shared this land of plenty and freedom, this land of dreams. This is their story.

NOTE

If you can find a copy for less $70-100USD I’d say that was a good deal.

WHO WERE THE COUREURS DES BOIS?

Coureurs des bois were itinerant, unlicenced fur traders from New France. They were known as “wood-runners” to the English on Hudson Bay and “bush-lopers” to the Anglo-Dutch of New York. Unlike voyageurs, who were licensed to transport goods to trading posts, coureurs des bois were considered outlaws of sorts because they did not have permits from colonial authorities. The independent coureurs des bois played an important role in the European exploration of the continent. They were also vital in establishing trading contacts with Indigenous peoples.

ORIGINS

Few French colonists had ventured west of the Ottawa River until the mid-1660s. At that time, a sudden drop in the price of beaver, the arrival of some 3,000 indentured servants and soldiers, and peace with the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) made the change both necessary and feasible.

By 1680, some 500 coureurs des bois were in the Lake Superior country attempting to outdistance the Indigenous middlemen. They were working there despite being prohibited from doing so by the Catholic church and colonial authorities, As a result, fewer Indigenous people brought furs to trade at Montreal and Trois-Rivières.

TRADING LICENCES AND HIRED WORKERS

Licensing was introduced by French authorities in 1681 to control the seasonal exodus into the Pays d'en Haut (“upper country”). Professional — and thus “respectable” — voyageurs came into being. They were licensed to transport goods to trading posts and were usually forbidden to do any trading of their own. However, renegade traders persisted. They became primarily known as “coureur des bois” after the emergence of New Orleans as an alternative focus of the trade in the 18th century. (See also: French-speaking Louisiana and Canada.)

The independent coureurs des bois played an important role in the European exploration of the continent. They were also vital in establishing trading contacts with Indigenous peoples.

Source above: The Canadian Encyclopedia (coureurs-de-bois)

Most of entries are short, usually a page or two long.

SEE MY BLOG POST: “Forerunners of the Coureur Des Bois — Indian Interpreters in New France and Beyond”

https://laprairie-voyageur-canoes.blogspot.com/2020/06/forerunners-of-coureur-des-bois-indian.html