The French voyageur cuts a dashing figure in our imaginations, so much so we often overlook the reality of his profession: it was a job. Margaret Brown looks at the business end of being a waterman in the remote French settlements of the Illinois Country in the mid-18th century; she presents her picture of the voyageurs' world from the perspective offered by the contracts, debts, and inventories they left behind. But there is still room for danger...
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History