Fur brigades were convoys of canoes and boats used to transport supplies, trading goods and furs in the North American fur trade industry. Much of it consisted of native fur trappers , most of whom were Métis , and fur traders who traveled between their home trading posts and a larger Hudson's Bay Company or Northwest Company post in order to supply the inland post with goods and supply the coastal post with furs.
48-700: The Portage La Loche Brigade was a York boat fur brigade that travelled between Fort Garry , the Methye Portage and York Factory in Rupert's Land . This famous brigade travelled 4000 miles every year and was part of the Hudson's Bay Company transportation system during the North American fur trade . Their trip from Fort Garry to Portage La Loche (known also as Methye Portage) would begin around 1 June and end around 8 October. Only one other brigade had
96-443: A Métis to do our cooking and to help us set up our tent every night and take it down every morning. He suggested that we be quick to obey the guide's signal: "Lève ! Lève!" in the morning and not to delay getting into the boat. He led us to the river's edge, gave us his benediction , embraced us tenderly like a father would and we took our place on the boat." (translation) The following are Joseph James Hargrave 's estimates of
144-553: A big bag of buffalo tongues and smoked meat, a small case of eggs, a little bag of onions, 3 pounds of Congo tea, a small barrel of maple syrup; some sugar, ground coffee, salt, pepper and butter. Two blankets rolled in an oil skin bag, a hatchet and a case of clothes completed his baggage. Father Émile Grouard who was travelling with Petitot also described the experience in his book " Souvenirs de mes soixante ans d'apostolat dans l'Athabaska-Mackenzie " " Monsignor Taché had made arrangements for our passage, Father Petitot and I, with
192-442: A few Swampy Cree and Chippewa Christians. A great cry: “Aoh! Aoh!” Pousse au large!” came from the lungs of Lesperance, made me understand that the old guide, however white haired he may be, was nevertheless still green and full of energy. A savage cry: “Wi ! Wi !” uttered by the crews, answered this order, and the seven York boats took their leave on the ‘Miskwa-Kamaw Sipiy’ . Twenty five years later I still seem to see
240-588: A few Swampy Cree and Chippewa Christians. In 1862, Father Émile Petitot quoted William J. Christie then the chief factor of Fort Edmonton as saying in French; "I am myself a Métis." "We are almost all Métis in the Company. Among the chief factors there is not a single Englishman, and maybe not ten Scots with pure blood." (translation) "Three brigades plied the Saskatchewan and Red River waterways of
288-483: A longer route. The York Factory Express brigade travelled 4200 miles from York Factory to Fort Vancouver until 1846. By the 1820s the Hudson's Bay company had several York boat brigades travelling distinct routes. Permanent trading posts had been built at strategic sites along the main brigade routes and as soon as the waterways were free of ice the fur brigades would carry trade goods and food supplies to replenish
336-475: A removable flood wall was constructed in the downtown area so that residents did not lose their connection to the river. In Winnipeg, the flood crested at 24.5 feet (7.5 m) above datum at the James Avenue pumping station, making it the third-highest flood at Winnipeg in recorded history . It was surpassed by the floods of 1825, and 1826. The city was largely spared the fate of Grand Forks thanks to
384-422: A small vessel called a York boat. York boats are flat bottomed, pointed at both ends and displace 8 to 9 tonnes, which give them a capacity of 4 to 5,000 kilos. The keel measures normally 30 to 36 feet. It is rowed or sailed and steered with a long ‘aviron’ called a sweep and a rudder. The York boat is crewed by nine to ten men, a helmsman called a 'gouvernail', a bossman or ‘devant de barge’, and eight rowers called
432-533: A specific vulnerable section near Grafton city, located between Grand Forks and Emerson, that is highly susceptible to severe floods. On May 8, 1950, the Red River reached its highest level at Winnipeg since 1861. Eight dikes protecting Winnipeg gave way and flooded much of the city, turning 1,600 km (600 sq mi) of farmland into an enormous lake. The city turned to the Canadian Army and
480-405: A total of $ 3.5 billion in damage and required temporary evacuation of towns and cities on both sides of the border. The cities of Grand Forks, North Dakota , and East Grand Forks, Minnesota , suffered the most damage, and most of their populations had to be evacuated. The river crested at more than 54 feet (16 m) above datum . The cities worked with FEMA and the state of Minnesota to clear
528-679: A wet summer in 2010, as well as an above average amount of snowfall through the winter in the Red River Valley, the Red River spilled its banks. It crested in Winnipeg at the James Avenue pumping station at 19.59 feet (5.97 m) above datum, as the sixth highest flood levels in recorded history if flood protection such as the Portage Diversion and the Red River Floodway were not in place. That same year there
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#1732773195522576-646: Is bordered by the twin cities of Fargo, North Dakota – Moorhead, Minnesota , and Grand Forks, North Dakota – East Grand Forks, Minnesota . It crosses the Canada–United States border just before reaching the town of Emerson, Manitoba . Manitoba 's capital, Winnipeg, is at the Red's confluence with the Assiniboine River , at a point called The Forks . Together with the Assiniboine,
624-559: Is east, forming a 26,000-hectare (64,000-acre) wetland. Southern Manitoba has a frost-free season of between 120 and 140 days per year in the Red River Valley. The Red River flows across the flat lake bed of the ancient glacial Lake Agassiz , an enormous glacial lake created at the end of the Wisconsin glaciation from meltwaters of the Laurentide Ice Sheet . As this continental glacier decayed, its meltwaters formed
672-493: Is the lake bed of the ancient glacial lake. It is remarkably flat; from its origin near Breckenridge, Minnesota, to the international border near Emerson, Manitoba , its gradient is only about 1:5000 (1 metre per 5 kilometres), or approximately 1 foot per mile. The river, slow and small in most seasons, does not have the energy to cut a gorge. Instead it meanders across the silty bottomlands in its progress north. In consequence, high water has nowhere to go, except to spread across
720-457: The Hudson's Bay Company on the boats leaving that afternoon of Pentecost for Portage La Loche." "We each had our travel case, and Monsignor Taché had supplied for our voyage: thick wool blankets wrapped in oilskin, a tent, a stove, a tea kettle, plates and iron pans, knives and forks, a bag of dried meat, a large sack of pemmican , a barrel of biscuits, some ham, tea, sugar. We were to live on this for two months. Monsignor had also arranged for
768-1137: The Poissons-blancs ( whitefish ) and the Saskatchewan River brigade based in Fort Edmonton the Blaireaux ( badgers ). Les Cygnes (the swans) were from the Swan River district based in Fort Pelly , Les Rabasca (Athabascans) from the Athabasca district based in Fort Chipewyan and Les Gens de la Grande Riviere (men of the great river) from the Mackenzie River district based in Fort Simpson . The brigades were intensely rivalrous and would frequently stage fistfights between their "champions" to defend
816-468: The Red Cross and The Salvation Army for help, and nearly 70,000 people were evacuated from their homes and businesses. Four of eleven bridges in the city were destroyed, and damage was estimated at between $ 900 million and $ 1 billion. As a result of the floods, a flood control project was constructed to prevent such damage in the future. The Red River Floodway around Winnipeg attracted some derision at
864-580: The Red River Trails , nineteenth-century oxcart trails developed originally by the Métis, supported the fur trade and these settlements. They contributed to further development of the region on both sides of the international border. The Red River begins at the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers, on the border of Wahpeton, North Dakota and Breckenridge, Minnesota . Downstream, it
912-505: The chief factor of Fort Edmonton as saying in French; "We are almost all Métis in the Company. Among the chief factors there is not a single Englishman, and maybe not ten Scots with pure blood." (translation) Men from the Red River Settlement recruited by the Hudson's Bay Company formed the first Portage La Loche brigade of 1826. The brigade consisted of 7 York boats with Laurent Cadotte as guide. The guide in 1833
960-479: The flood of 1997 . 75% of the population in the former city was evacuated, and all of the latter. Many of the residential areas along the rivers were inundated and all the homes had to be destroyed. Afterward, a massive flood protection project was undertaken to protect both cities. Atashi et al. study conducted spatial analyses of the Permanent Water Area (PWA) and Seasonal Water Area (SWA), revealing
1008-508: The floodplains of the river on both sides, prohibiting future housing or businesses in this area. They created the Greater Grand Forks Greenway on both sides, which includes city and state parks, a long bike trail, and other recreational amenities. The trees and greenery help absorb floodwaters. A dike system was constructed outside this area on both sides to protect the cities from future floods. In East Grand Forks,
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#17327731955221056-506: The Floodway, which was pushed to its capacity during the 1997 flood. In 2009 the Red River flooded in early spring. By Friday, March 27, the river at Fargo had reached the highest level in recorded history. Its discharge at that location was far in excess of normal flows. The river crested at the James Avenue pumping station in Winnipeg at 22.5 feet (6.9 m) above datum, making it the fourth-highest flood in recorded history. Due to
1104-437: The Hudson's Bay Company were Orkneymen. These boats most often traveled in brigades, transporting supplies and trading goods. By the 1820s, the Hudson's Bay Company had several York boat brigades traveling distinct routes. Permanent trading posts had been built at strategic sites along the main brigade routes and as soon as the waterways were free of ice the fur brigades would carry trade goods and food supplies to replenish
1152-539: The North Dakota–Minnesota border. Long an important highway for trade, the Red River has been designated a Canadian Heritage River . The watershed of the Red River was part of Rupert's Land , the concession established by the British Hudson's Bay Company in north central North America. The Red was a key trade route for the company, and contributed to the settlement of British North America. The river
1200-719: The Northern department. The Red River brigade transported furs and goods between the Red River Settlement and Norway House and between Norway House and York Factory. The Portage la Loche brigade was recruited at Red River to transport goods to Norway House and thence northwest via the Churchill River system to Portage la Loche , where cargo was exchanged with the Athabaska brigade before returning to Norway House and finally to Red River. The third brigade,
1248-601: The Portage La Loche Brigade. He left Fort Garry on 8 June as a passenger with the Lesperance brigade. The other brigade guided by Jean Baptiste Bruce had left a week earlier. He arrived at the Portage 42 days later on 20 July. In the following translation Petitot describes leaving Fort Garry. "The distance from Fort Garry to Portage La Loche was 482 French leagues (1446 miles) which we would undertake in
1296-645: The Red River fully encloses the endorheic basin of Devils' Lake and Stump Lake. The Red flows further north before draining into Lake Winnipeg which then drains through the Nelson River into Hudson Bay , both part of the Hudson Bay watershed . The mouth of the Red River forms a freshwater river delta called the Netley–Libau Marsh. The Netley Marsh is west of the Red and the Libau Marsh
1344-567: The Saskatchewan brigade, was recruited in the region of Fort Edmonton, trip-ping to Norway House and York Factory before returning to the Upper Saskatchewan." (Manitoba History) The crews of some of these fur brigades had nicknames , some derived from their dietary habits. The Red River "tripmen" were called the Taureaux . A "Taureau" is a bag of pemmican weighing about 90 pounds. The Portage La Loche brigade's tripmen were called
1392-613: The United States and about 255 kilometres (158 mi) are in Canada. The river falls 70 metres (230 ft) on its trip to Lake Winnipeg, where it spreads into the vast deltaic wetland known as Netley Marsh. Several urban areas have developed on both sides of the river, including the city of Winnipeg in Canada, as well as the Fargo-Moorhead and Grand Forks–East Grand Forks metropolitan areas, both of which straddle
1440-633: The brigade's honor. The challenger would strut about adorned with feathers in his cap bragging about his prowess ( chantant le coq ). Red River of the North The Red River ( French : rivière Rouge ), also called the Red River of the North ( French : rivière Rouge du Nord ) to differentiate it from the Red River in the south of the continent, is a river in the north-central United States and central Canada . Originating at
1488-547: The confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers between the U.S. states of Minnesota and North Dakota , it flows northward through the Red River Valley , forming most of the border of Minnesota and North Dakota and continuing into Manitoba . It empties into Lake Winnipeg , whose waters join the Nelson River and ultimately flow into Hudson Bay . The Red River is about 885 kilometres (550 mi) long, of which about 635 kilometres (395 mi) are in
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1536-474: The dates when the brigades arrived and left each section of the route. The dates are from his 1871 book, Red River, a history of the Red River Colony . Fur brigade Travel was usually done on the rivers by canoe or, in certain prairie situations, by horse. For example, they might travel to Hudson Bay or James Bay from their inland home territories. This pattern was most prevalent during
1584-399: The dominant mode of transportation. York boats were made by searching forests for suitable wood, floating the wood back to posts on waterways, and then sawing wood into keels , planks , stems , and gunnels . Trading posts had specific areas set aside for York boat building. York boats were similar in structure to Orkney Isles fishing boats , likely because many of the men employed by
1632-454: The early 19th century. Canoes were eventually replaced by York boats because they were more economically and physically efficient. Fur brigades began with the need to transport furs trapped during the winter to markets where the furs could be exchanged for European trade goods. They evolved from small brigades of canoes from native villages traveling to meet fur traders at pre-selected meeting places to traders going out in canoes to meet
1680-418: The lake. Over thousands of years, sediments precipitated to the bottom of the lakebed. These lacustrine soils are the parent soils of today's Red River Valley . The river is very young; it developed only after Lake Agassiz drained, about 9,500 years ago. The word "valley" is a misnomer. While the Red River drains the region, it did not create a valley wider than a few hundred feet. The much wider floodplain
1728-479: The next winters trapping season. These brigades were usually an annual event. These canoe routes became part of a complex transportation system during the North American fur trade. Supplies, trading goods and furs were carried between the various forts and posts along the fur trade routes and the furs would be shipped every year to the world markets. In the 1790s, York boats were created in response to
1776-411: The old lakebed in "overland flooding". Heavy snows or rains, especially on saturated or frozen soil, have caused a number of catastrophic floods, which often are made worse by the fact that snowmelt starts in the warmer south, and waters flowing northward are often dammed or slowed by ice. These periodic floods have the effect of refilling, in part, the ancient lake. Floods happen in the Red River when
1824-507: The pitiful figures that Grouard and I made in our boat filled with sugar boxes, barrels of powder, bolts of cloth and cases of tobacco, with only a felt hat for shade, seated on the first piece of baggage we found." At the Stone Fort , Petitot bought more provisions for his journey. His complete list of supplies included 125 kilos of flour, two bags of sea biscuits, 25 kilos of pemmican , 4 smoked and cooked hams, 6 large loaves of bread,
1872-553: The subject of scholarly studies. After the disastrous 1950 flood, which resulted in extensive property damage and losses in Winnipeg , the province of Manitoba undertook flood prevention by constructing the Red River Floodway . Completed in 1968, it diverts floodwaters around the city to less settled areas farther down the river. Grand Forks, North Dakota, and East Grand Forks, Minnesota, suffered widespread destruction in
1920-400: The time, as some people thought it was massively overbuilt and was the then-largest earth-moving project in the world. The project was completed under-budget, and has been used for at least some flood control 20 times in the 37 years from its completion to 2006. The Floodway has saved an estimated CA$ 10 billion in flood damages. In the spring of 1997 a major flood of the Red River caused
1968-503: The transportation problems that canoes posed. Canoes were fragile, had a limited capacity, and required large crews. York boats were the more economical option as they were durable, had a large capacity, and did not require much manpower. This allowed the Hudson's Bay Company to transport people and goods across Canada efficiently. Hudson's Bay Company administrator George Simpson kept some canoes for personal journeys, and occasionally loaned them for travel, but York boats otherwise became
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2016-495: The trappers in their home territory with forts or posts being established along the way. One common fur brigade was by canoe, conducted by voyageurs or others. Downstream loads to locations such as York Factory on the Hudson Bay or to Montreal on the St. Lawrence River consisted mainly of furs. Upstream loads from York Factory and Montreal consisted of trading goods and the ammunition, traps and various other supplies needed for
2064-476: The various trading posts along their route and pick up the accumulation of furs caught during the winter season. They also carried mail and passengers. The boat brigades were mostly crewed by Métis as were almost all the men employed by the Hudson's Bay Company in western Canada at the time. The York boats from Red River of the Portage La Loche brigades in 1862 were crewed by French Métis with
2112-560: The various trading posts along their route and pick up the accumulation of furs caught during the winter season. They also carried mail and passengers. The boat brigades were mostly crewed by Métis as were almost all the men employed by the Hudson's Bay Company 's Northern Department (now the Prairie Provinces and the North-West Territories ). In 1862 Father Émile Petitot quoted William J. Christie then
2160-570: The water level increases over the tops of riverbanks due to significant precipitation over the same area for long periods, in the forms of persistent thunderstorms, rain, or snow combined with spring snow melt and ice jam. Major floods in historic times include those of 1826 , 1897 , 1950 , 1997 , 2009 , 2011 , and there has been significant flooding many years in between. Geologists have found evidence of many other floods in prehistoric times of equal or greater size. These " paleofloods " are known from their effects on local landforms, and have been
2208-548: The ‘milieux’. These milieux were also the porters. Our guide was an old French Canadian called Alexis Lesperance. At 80 years old his actions were slowed but not his voice. His boat, always the first, was guided by his son. A kind of guide, the Metis Michel Dumas, led our boat. Our cook and porter was another Metis called Baptiste Boucher, ‘mangeur de lard’ (greenhorn) like us who was forced to come out of need. Our brigade had seven boats, all crewed by French Metis with
2256-669: Was Alexis L'Esperance ( Alexis Bonami ) who retired in 1866. In 1848 two Portage La Loche Brigades were formed. Each brigade had seven boats, each with a guide. One brigade was still guided by Alexis L'Esperance (Alexis Bonami dit Lesperance), the other by Jean Baptiste Bruce. In 1866 the HBC increased the Portage La Loche Brigades to three with seventeen boats in total. The last Portage La Loche Brigade arrived at Norway House in 1873. In his book En route pour la mer Glaciale Father Emile Petitot recounts his 1862 trip with
2304-572: Was long used by fur traders , including the French and the Métis people , who established a community in this area some time before the British defeated France in the Seven Years' War . Following that, they took over French possessions in Canada. Settlers of the Red River Colony established farming along the river, and their primary settlement developed as Winnipeg , Manitoba. What became known as
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