French Fur Trader Reenactments and History of the Voyageurs

DRC Sponsor: Jim Morrow

Many of our Rotarians are familiar with Civil War reenactments. They may not know reenactments exist for a much earlier time: the era of French fur traders in North America. Ezra Harman-Wood, now a Decorah High School senior (son of Andrew Wood and Lyndsay Harman) has been a French fur trader reenactor (i.e., a "Voyageur") for over seven years, most recently during a weekend in Platteville, Wisconsin. He'll talk to our group about this most unusual hobby.

The term Voyageur ("traveler" in French) denotes the French or French-Canadian boatman employed by the early fur companies for transporting goods and passengers to and from trading posts. Voyageurs in North America established trading connections with indigenous peoples mainly in the early half of the 17th Century. They operated over a huge geography, including much of present-day Minnesota and Wisconsin. As the trading process moved deep into the wilderness, transportation of the furs (and the products to be traded for furs) became a larger part of the fur trading business process. French authorities began a process of issuing permits. Those travelers associated with the canoe transportation part of the licensed endeavour became known as the Voyageurs. Forts and trading posts were built with the help of explorers and traders and treaties were negotiated with native peoples.

When he's not a French fur trader, Ezra plays football and participates in choir and band. He plays drums and bass guitar.

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**Please complete your noon meal sign-up prior to the meeting, preferably not later than close of business Monday. Our face-to-face meeting will be hosted at the VFW. The meal sign-up, meeting announcment, and any other logistical information will be distributed in advace to all members by email.