In the most basic sense, what’s commonly referred to as “the fur trade” was a period of cultural and economic exchange between Native Americans and European Americans, according to the Minnesota Historical Society. As the pages of history were put down, one aspect that was continually overlooked is the role women played at home, in the woods, and throughout many aspects of life during the fur trade. The simple truth is that Indigenous women actively contributed to the success of the North American fur trade, according to Karl Koster, a Minnesota historian who specializes in the history of the iconic fur trade.

In this MinneCulture In-Depth feature, KFAI contributor Joe Friedrichs explores the role of women during the fur trade as told through the lens of a Grand Marais woman, Laura Powell Marxen. Laura continues to trap and sell fur on Minnesota's North Shore, much like her great-grandmother, Mary Ottertail, did in the early 1900s near what is now the end of the Gunflint Trail.

Image by Joe Friedrichs.

Support for MinneCulture on KFAI has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

Women of the Fur Trade

The Ottawa River, extending roughly 1270 km and with its watershed larger than twice the size of New Brunswick, was one of several major routes for indigenous people to travel throughout the Canadian wilderness for decades. Starting in the 1600s, European explorers and fur traders used the routes of indigenous people, accessing broad areas of the country further west and north. In the 1800's the lumber trade prospered from using the river for floating logs to European markets. In the 1900's, hydroelectric power plants were built at strategic locations, transforming the river (Holden Pond). This song pays tribute to travelers of the river; the Coureur des Bois, Voyageurs and indigenous people.  Wording in the chorus “the tracks of these men are marked in the stones …”, refers to a sacred place on the Madawaska River, where the names of men who perished in the river are carved into the smoothly shaped bedrock.  As an avid wilderness canoeist (and a 10th generation Canadian), I have a great deal of respect for our forefathers that traveled through the rugged Canadian Shield from spring to early winter.

Open Water

la Riviere

La Riviere (Open Water)

Larry Ostola talks to Stephen R. Bown about his book, Dominion: The Railway and the Rise of Canada.

In the late 19th century, demand for fur was in sharp decline. This could have spelled economic disaster for the venerable Hudson's Bay Company. But an idea emerged in political and business circles in Ottawa and Montreal to connect the disparate British colonies into a single entity that would stretch from the Atlantic to the Pacific. With over 3,000 kilometres of track, much of it driven through wildly inhospitable terrain, the CPR would be the longest railway in the world and the most difficult to build. Its construction was the defining event of its era and a catalyst for powerful global forces.

Bown again widens our view of the past to include the adventures and hardships of explorers and surveyors, the resistance of Indigenous peoples, and the terrific and horrific work of many thousands of labourers. His vivid portrayal of the powerful forces that were moulding the world in the late 19th century provides a revelatory new picture of modern Canada's creation as an independent state.

Stephen R. Bown writes on the history of exploration, science and ideas. His subjects include the medical mystery of scurvy, the Treaty of Tordesillas and the lives of Captain George Vancouver and Roald Amundsen. His books have been published in multiple English-speaking territories, translated into nine languages and shortlisted for many awards. He has won the BC Book Prize, the Alberta Book Award, the William Mills Prize for Polar Books, among others. His 2020 book, The Company: The Rise and Fall of the Hudson's Bay Empire, won the J.W. Defoe Book Prize and the National Business Book Award. Born in Ottawa, Bown now lives near Banff in the Canadian Rockies.

Image Credit: Penguin Random House Canada

Dominion: The Railway and the Rise of Canada

MinneCulture is KFAI’s award-winning audio storytelling program. We produce audio documentaries exploring Minnesota’s art, culture, and history — stories about musical sensations, small town heroes, cultural icons, local lore, and everything in between. We produce two types of stories: short form under the name "10,000 Fresh Voices" and long form under the name "MinneCulture"

Marc Audet is a folk music singer/songwriter specializing in historical songwriting. Hailing from Deep River, Ontario, he has been performing throughout the Ottawa Valley since 2014, accumulating over 470 shows. The history and heritage of the Ottawa Valley is a focus of Marc’s songwriting, reflecting his keen interest in history. 
In 2019, Marc released his debut album “The River”, a studio album with a full band backing him. In 2020, Marc developed a unique show involving storytelling and songs about the Ottawa Valley, “FORGOTTEN MEMORIES OF THE OTTAWA VALLEY”, earning him a Certificate of Congratulations from MPP John Yakabuski. In 2021, this folk show was recorded and it is available to audiences interested in historical songwriting. Starting in late 2021, Marc launched a “Winter Folk Show” (a variety folk show) at venues throughout the Ottawa Valley and Eastern Ontario, sharing his music and stories with cultural content. In 2022, Marc brought together other musicians to form the folk music group NORTH RENFREW, available for folk music festivals. In 2023, songs from The River were remixed and released in a new album (EP), Open Water. In 2024, a second studio album was released, Those Days. Writing and recording new songs continues to be a focus for Marc.  Musically, Marc has something to say.

Visit www.marcaudetmusic.com

Immerse yourself in Canada’s history! Witness to Yesterday episodes take listeners on a journey to document a time in Canada’s past and explore the people behind it, its significance, and its relevance to today. If you like our work, please consider supporting it: https://bit.ly/support_WTY. To learn more about the Society and Canada’s history, subscribe to our newsletter at https://bit.ly/news_WTY.

New tracks tagged #Fur Trade