Turning Points
in Wisconsin History
A French soldier describes how the fur trade worked in 1685.
Four letters, from New Voyages to North-America...
Baron Lahontan came to New France in 1683 to fight the Iroquois, and between campaigns observed daily life in the colonies, hunted with the Indians, and traveled throughout the St. Lawrence Valley. In the first letter here (June 28, 1685), he describes the arrival of a fur trade flotilla from the Great Lakes and how the Indians and French negotiate prices for furs. In the second (Oct. 2, 1685; p. 51), he relates the economics of the trade, how it is carried out, and how merchants profit from it. In the third (July 8, 1686; p. 55) he tells of spending the winter hunting moose with the Indians. In the last (May 28, 1687; p. 60), he describes in detail Indian methods of capturing various fur-bearing animals and birds. He also reveals much about social life in New France, including everything from priests to prostitutes, as well as documenting its natural history.
| Related Topics: |
Explorers, Traders, and Settlers The French Fur Trade |
| Creator: | Lahontan, Louis Armand de Lom d'Arce, baron de, 1666-1715? |
| Pub Data: | London: H. Bonwicke, T. Goodwin, M. Wotton, B. Tooke, and S. Manship, 1703 |
| Citation: | Lahontan, Louis Armand de Lom d'Arce, baron de. New Voyages to North-America...(excerpt).(London, 1703); Online facsimile at: http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/search.asp?id=15; Visited on: 4/19/2024 |
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