The French fur trade was based in Montreal and the later British trade at York Factory. The shading shows Rupert’s Land (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Oh the wonder of it all. The endless beauty, the landscape the forest, the smell, the sound, the quiet, the glory! The freedom of adventure, the challenge of skills, the might of our strength to be pitted only against ourselves with the adversary being the landscape. Oh the land! The call of the great wild. To hear the sound of the soul searching cry. Come, mankind, venture forth oh diligent and aspiring soul. For the land becons the voyageur and it calls them by name.
Almighty man, it whispers, come harvest my treasure.
From all walks of life the hero responds. The lure of the magic entices. The earth song sings and the sirens of the great north call to the almighty human. Walk my soil, forge my rivers, the catch lies just beyond.
Feel your strength as the paddle pushes through the water. Stroke after stroke of the rhythmic beat. The voyageur, with canoes laden with supplies, pushes onward to a destiny of treasure.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzFHfS1BWm0
Fur.
The cry of the century and the wealth of the nation. Fur!
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/fur-trade
The boastful preoccupation of a wealthy nation, the fur trade entices the entrepreneur. Come, almighty human, into the land of plenty. The trade in furs will make you rich and there is plenty.
Explore the great rivers in your birch bark canoes, in your voyageur canoes. The nation opens its waterways to you and presents the thousands of kilometers of river systems throughout the land.
The vast watershed of lower Canada is accomplished. Onward we push to the limitless north. The Hudson Bay and the rivers beyond. Up to the forts of York Factory, where the trade in furs grows to coin, bullion, gold! The land is rich in harvested fur. The champions of navigation press onward through the river systems, the tributaries, the lakes, the voyage north to trade. The fur trade opens the nation to commerce, entrepreneurialism, wealth, fashion, merchants, the gold of the country.
From province to province, to province the voyageur paddles on. Prosperity, trade, union, negotiation all for the almighty man, be he the king of a great nation, the sovereign of a tribe, the Coureur de Bois. All are connected to the forest, the rivers the place of prosperity. Fur! The cry of the aristocrat becons and the sovereign lord of the forest responds.
Hail, almighty human, the sword and the musket never raised against yea. The trade of commerce is the negotiation of the nation. Blend, you great human, you moral man. The fur trade and the conquest of the river systems opens the world to the intelligent human. Yes, the mortal strength of one man cannot accomplish feats so daring, but the might, the privilege, the brilliant mind, knows no other recourse than to win. Win the trust of the people, win the support for the venture in trade and in human harmony we bond and become.
Hail, almighty human. A collection of huts is a settlement, a sanctuary. Home! The country is called Kanata, that is HOME.
written by Dr. Louise Hayes
June 14,2013