Homes, Trades and Games of Long Ago · Drawing 21 of 40
The voyageurs and the furs
Around 1800
Every spring, big canoes loaded with trade goods left Lachine, near Montréal, to trade for beaver furs far to the west. The paddlers were called voyageurs.
Look together
How many paddles can you see?
An idea to try
Load a basket with “bundles” (cushions) and do a portage through the house: carry the load from one room to the next without putting it down. Talk about what is heavy and what is far.
For the adult reading along
A little more to discover
Around 1800, Lachine was an important departure point for the fur trade. Voyageurs carried goods inland and brought furs back. At portages, they carried both canoes and cargo. The trade also depended on Indigenous peoples’ knowledge, work and networks.
The illustration shows a reduced crew to keep the scene readable. Count the five paddles, then imagine how the paddlers could keep the same rhythm.
Sources and context (1)
These links lead to other websites. Explore them with an adult. Source titles appear in their original language; some linked pages are in French.
Source review: 2026-09-19. Illustrations simplify places and scenes; they are not historical documents.