Voyageurs traveled the length and breadth of Canada on a network of lakes and rivers, the great highways of trade and discovery in Canada's pioneer days. These early travelers were the backbone of the developing economy of Canada. They used their voyageur canoes to transport trade goods into the wilderness of Canada returning each year with a bounty of furs and stories of this great land unfolding before them.

Cumberland House sits on an island in the middle of the Saskatchewan River. It is home to a well established Indian Reserve and a growing native community. Established in 1774, it was the first inland post of the Hudson's Bay Company. Before this date, the natives for generations and the Voyageurs of the North West Company used this post as a trading hub.

Trade goods arrived at Cumberland House in canoes from Fort William (now present-day Thunder Bay). From Cumberland House they could continue on west to Fort Edmonton and the most westerly fort at Rocky Mountain House. The other option was to turn north and proceed over Cumberland Lake to Namew Lake and Sturgeon Landing at the mouth of the Sturgeon Wier River. Traveling up the Sturgeon Wier River and into the Churchill River, trade goods could be taken all the way to the Athabasca basin and even further into the Mackenzie basin. The furs would follow the route back to Cumberland House and once gathered, would be taken up to Sturgeon Landing and then east over Cranberry Portage, the Grassy and Hayes Rivers to York Factory.

As important as these rivers and lakes were to the fur trade, they were also the highways by which all the western explorers moved inland and all the way to the Pacific and Arctic Oceans.

Our Canadian Voyageur Canoe Adventures will take you on parts of these major trade and discovery routes. You will paddle and portage in the wakes and footsteps of the likes of Peter Pond, Alexander Mackenzie, Simon Fraser, George Simpson, David Thompson (and Norm Crerar and Gib McEachern).

The Voyageur Canoe
The Voyageur Canoes used on the Canadian Voyageur Canoe Adventures has a long and rich history. The Canoe is 25' long and 4' wide (8 meters by 1.5 meters), weighs 270 pounds and is of modern manufacture and modern materials.

The Hudson's Bay Company set up a trading post on the shores of Hudson's Bay in 1670 under special charter from the King of England. For over 100 years they brought trade goods to their trading houses on Hudson's Bay and the Indians and Eskimos brought the furs to these trading houses and conducted business. There were no aspirations on the part of the Hudson's Bay Company to move inland and claim or settle the land. All this changed with the formation of the Northwest Company. The Northwest Company was headquartered in Montreal and made up of French, Scots and some Americans. They did not recognize the charter given to the HBC and decided to take the trade goods around Hudson's Bay and the HBC out across Canada to the trappers. The Canoe, in a number of different models, was the vehicle of trade and communication.

The ships from Europe dropped off the trade goods in Montreal and picked up the furs for the trip back. Voyageurs would load the trade goods in "Canots du Maitre" or "Montreal Canoe". These canoes were 35' to 40' in length and used 10-14 paddlers. The load this canoe could carry was in the range of 10,000 pounds, including crew. (To ensure a large load of trade goods, Voyageurs of small stature were preferred). These canoes would depart from above Lachine Rapids in Montreal and paddle up the St. Lawrence River to the Ottawa River, up the Ottawa River to the Mattawa River, through Lake Nippissing, down the French River to Lake Huron, around Lake Huron to Sault St. Marie and half way around Lake Superior to Fort William (now Thunder Bay). Here the loads were broken down into the smaller Voyageur Canoes for the trip west across Canada. These Voyageur Canoes were made of cedar ribs and planking and were covered with birch bark. They probably weighed 200 pounds when the trip started but got heavier as the trip went on due to the lack of waterproofing materials. The canoes were paddled by 6 paddlers and could carry 3000 pounds including crew.

In 1967, Canada celebrated its 100 years of Confederation. There were many centennial projects across the land but the most energetic one was a canoe race from the Rocky Mountains to Montreal. The race started May 24th at the most westerly fort on the fur trade route, Rocky Mountain House. The race ended September 4th at the World Fair site in Montreal. The distance covered was 3,600 miles, (60 of those being portages) and the winning time was 548 hours. Each Province in Canada entered a team except Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland but included teams from the Yukon and North West Territories.

The Voyageur Canoes we use are made from a mold of the winning Manitoba canoe. Gib McEachern was the bow man of the Manitoba team and Norm Crerar the Captain of the team and the stern man. Gib, Norm and their friend Stewart Bexton, build the canoes used on the Canadian Voyageur Canoe Adventures.

These canoes are manufactured on a very limited scale and are available for purchase by special order. Click here for details.