@hundred wunders
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • BLOG
  • SHOP
  • IMAGES
  • CONTACT

Going the distance

9/9/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
Shooting the Rapids by Frances Anne Hopkins 1838-1919
In 1802, Terrebonne came into the possession of Simon McTavish, a Scot and principal partner of the North West Company, which competed with the Hudson's Bay Company. McTavish transformed l’Île-des-Moulins into a supply post for fur traders known as voyageurs, who navigated trade routes in canoes between 1690 and 1850.
     The work of the voyageurs began in the spring with a gathering in Montreal to prepare the goods they would be carrying, at least 90 pounds’ worth each. Once the canoes had been packed, the men set off from Lachine, stopping briefly in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue for religious services. For 6 to 8 weeks, the voyageurs canoed and portaged their way to distant fur posts in a network that spanned 5,000 km. They rose well before dawn, stopping for breakfast only at about 8 o’clock. Each hour of the journey was marked with a smoke break, a practice which became so common that distances were measured according to the number of pipes taken along the route.
     At night, the voyageurs slept under the stars, protected from wind and rain by tarps and overturned canoes. While they rested, a kettle filled with peas, water, and a few strips of pork simmered over a fire until dawn when the cook added “biscuits.” These biscuits were prepared by bakeries like the one established by Simon McTavish on l’Île-des-Moulins. Made from a mixture of flour, water, salt, and grease, they were twice baked in order to preserve them. To render them edible again, the voyageurs hung this staple in satchels made of flax that dragged in the water alongside their canoes.
Picture
Photo credit: David L. Paterson
QUÉBEC, CANADA
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Author

    The author is an artist, writer, and instructional designer with an overactive imagination and too little time. Ceci en est un exemple...
    ​

    RSS Feed


    Pssst... want to advertise your travel guide or products on hundred wunders? Contact us!

    Picture
    Follow

    Categories

    All
    Amusement
    Architecture
    Art
    Audio
    Britain
    Canada
    Desert
    Forest
    History
    Island
    Mountain
    Ocean
    Opinion
    Park
    Photography
    River
    Shopping
    Town
    Transportation
    United States

    Picture

    Picture

    Recommended

    Environnement-voyages
    en français
    GPSmyCity.com
    Trip.com
    Ask Wonder
    ​
    The Blind Blogger
    ​
    Women & Wanderlust
    ​Streetfilms
    Grist
    Junkculture
    Rough Guides
    Off the Beaten Path
    Tom Hussey
    Griffintown Tour
    ​


    ​
    Google
Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
ⓙⓤⓝⓘⓞⓡⓐⓝⓖⓔ