What's in the name Voyageur?

The strength and endurance of the voyageurs was legendary. It was expected that each voyageur work at least 14 hours a day, paddle 55 strokes per minute and be able to carry two bundles across each portage between the lakes and rivers of the north woods. A bundle generally consisted of beaver pelts or other furs weighing about 90 lbs. on the way to Montreal, or 90 lbs. of trade goods coming from Montreal. A routine portage meant carrying 180 pounds across rugged terrain full of rocks, mud, mosquitoes and black flies. At approximately every ½ mile the voyageurs had a posé where the packs were set down and they ran back to get 2 more, and if time allowed a pipe or two was smoked.

There were two classes of voyageurs: the mangeurs de lard (pork eaters) and the hivernants (winterers). The pork eaters paddled from Montreal to Grand Portage and back, and the winterers paddled from the interior to Grand Portage and back. In the two classes of voyageurs you have three types, the avant (bowsman), gouvernail (steersman) and the milieux (middle man). Because of the skill and experience required, the bowsman and steersman were paid twice the rate of the middleman.

The Canoe was the workhorse of the Fur Trade. Travelling through the Northern Territories required a lightweight craft that could be carried across frequent portages and yet manage a heavy load of cargo as well. Hence the use of the Birch Bark Canoe, which finds its origins in the Ojibwe and later the Algonquin tribes.

Several different types of canoe were used, the main differences being the length, the number of men and how much goods they could carry. The two main types of canoe used by HBC were the Canot du Maitre (Montreal Canoe) and the Canot du Nord (North Canoe).

The canot du maître (sometimes known as a Montreal canoe) was the larger of the two. Some 30-40 feet long, with a crew of 8 to 16 paddlers, could be portaged by 4 men and carried a payload of about four tons. It was used on route from the St. Lawrence River to the Lakehead.

The smaller canot du nord was 18-22 feet long, light enough that two men could carry it, and it required a crew of only 6 to 8 men. It was used in the west because of the rugged rivers and many portages along the way, but due to its smaller size could only carry about a ton and a half of freight.

A third type of canoe, the express canoe or canot léger, was about 15 feet long. These were used to carry important people, reports, and news to and from different posts in the Northwest.

"There is no life as happy as a Voyageurs life!"