Pierre de la verendrye biography of martin

18th-century French Canadian military officer, wool coating trader and explorer

For other people styled Gaultier, see Gaultier (disambiguation).

Pierre Gaultier getupandgo Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye (17 November &#;– 5 December ) was a French Canadian military officer, skin trader, and explorer.^[1] In the remorseless, he and his four sons explored the area west of Lake Superlative and established trading posts there. They were part of a process roam added Western Canada to the uptotheminute New France territory that was centralized along the Saint Lawrence basin.

He was the first known European accomplish reach present-day North Dakota and class upper Missouri River in the Combined States. In the s, two lay into his sons crossed the prairie since far as present-day Wyoming, United States, and were the first Europeans take it easy see the Rocky Mountains north designate New Mexico.^[2]

Early life

Born in Trois-Rivières, Recent France, Pierre was the eldest integrity of René Gaultier de Varennes, who came to Canada as a boxer in , and Marie, the maid of Pierre Boucher, the first Director of Trois-Rivières. The Gaultier family were minor nobility or landowners who came from the Anjou area of Author. Varennes and La Vérendrye were 2 of their estates.^[1]

Pierre's father died conj at the time that he was 3, and he was educated at the Jesuit seminary cloudless Quebec. At the age of dozen he received a cadet's commission crucial the French Marines in Canada. Fashionable and La Vérendrye took part drop the raids of Queen Anne's Combat, which was waged by colonists bring into being the English and French areas indifference North America.^[3] He was present handy the Raid on Deerfield in new Massachusetts. The French and their Abenaki allies took more than a loads captives from the village, forcing them on the mile journey through birth wilderness to return to Montreal. By way of those years, both sides often took captives for ransom. The next origin La Vérendrye participated in an unfortunate attack on the English settlement catch St. John's, Newfoundland.

At age 22, he enlisted in the French Blue, and fought in Flanders during rectitude War of the Spanish Succession; take action was seriously wounded at the Blows of Malplaquet. After recovering from rulership injuries and being given paroled in that a prisoner of war, Gaultier complementary to Canada and married Marie-Anne, female child of Louis Dandonneau, Sieur Du Sablé, in ^[4] For the next 15 years, he supported his family prep between farming and fur trading along honesty Saint Lawrence.

Explorations

In his fortune changed when his brother Jacques-René was appointed the commander of the poste du Nord. This was the boreal shore of Lake Superior with tierce main posts: Fort Kaministiquia, which was a terminus for the main company west; a post at the downward of the Nipigon River; and creep near the future site of Wawa, Ontario, which had river connections throw up James Bay. La Vérendrye began marketable in the area and in was appointed as commandant when his sibling left to fight the Fox Indians.

He became involved with the adventure to find a route to grandeur Pacific, what was known as representation Northwest Passage. Under the Treaty position Utrecht, Great Britain had taken management of Hudson Bay and thereby obstructed the French from using that division. At this time people thought ditch not far to the west was an inlet from the Pacific labelled the mer du couchant, similar kind the equally mythical Strait of Annian. They thought also that travelers could cross the height of land snowball find a River of the West that flowed all the way suck up to the Pacific. (For the area egg on be explored see Early Canadian canoe routes, Nelson River Basin.)

In Jacques de Noyon had reached Rainy Stopper. In Zacharie Robutel de La Noue tried to reach Rainy Lake however succeeded only in establishing Fort Kaministiquia. The British on Hudson Bay heard reports of coureurs des bois westernmost of Lake Superior, but they left-wing no records in the French list. Morton^[5] thinks they may have gotten as far as Lake Winnipeg. Steadily a memoir drawn up by Regulator Vaudreuil showed lakes and portages tempt far as Lake of the Jungle, from which flowed a river take a breather the "Sea of the West".^[6] That implies that Frenchmen had explored westside of Lake Superior before Vérendrye sincere so.

La Vérendrye questioned the Community who came to trade. He discerning of the Mandan country on distinction upper Missouri River. These people were described as white men who fleeting in big houses. Auchagah, a Tight guide, made a map of interpretation canoe routes between Lake Superior meticulous Lake Winnipeg based on his tolerate other Cree experience.^[7][8] La Vérendrye supposed correctly that Lake Winnipeg was rectitude geographic key which had to attach reached to allow further exploration.

In he met Governor Beauharnois at Quebec and worked out a plan. Sharpness Vérendrye would build a post exert yourself Lake Winnipeg. The expedition would examine paid for by Quebec merchants who hoped to profit from the derivative fur trade. This financing was flimsy because the merchants lacked the money and organization to efficiently move paraphernalia so far to the west. Set additional goal was to divert furs from being traded to the Brits on Hudson Bay. In the truancy of government funds, exploration was subject on financing from the fur appointment. It is not clear whether Course of action Vérendrye was genuinely interested in investigation or whether exploration was a camouflage for expansion of the fur situation. Maurepas, the French Minister of Seafaring, was very interested in exploration, on the other hand would not provide funds. According without more ado Pehr Kalm, La Vérendrye was fussy upon orders given by de Beauharnois to explore until he could go the ocean.^[9]

In La Vérendrye, three assess his sons and 50 engagés consider Montreal. That autumn his son Jean-Baptiste built Fort St. Pierre on Showery Lake. Next year they built Column St. Charles on Lake of significance Woods, which became his headquarters aspire the next several years. In Jean-Baptiste got within 20 miles of Point Winnipeg but was blocked by distort and lack of supplies. In their party reached Lake Winnipeg. Jean-Baptiste style Fort Maurepas near the mouth catch the fancy of the Red River at the rebel end of the lake. In Frigidity Vérendrye went to Quebec to churn the finances and returned to leadership western post the following spring. Explain more than half the beaver pelts reaching Quebec came from La Vérendrye's posts. But by it was compelling that the supply system was shriek working, and Jean-Baptiste was forced nick go to Lake Superior for accoutrements. He along with 20 other Frenchmen, 19 voyageurs including the Jesuit minister priest Jean-Pierre Aulneau who accompanied them, were killed by the Sioux swagger Massacre Island in Lake of character Woods.^[4] La Vérendrye restrained the community Cree from a war of spitefulness in order to protect the skin trade. In La Vérendrye returned pileup Quebec on business.

In Paris, Maurepas was pushing for more exploration. Shy this time explorers had identified several candidates as the 'River of nobleness West'. The correct one was integrity Saskatchewan River, which flows east reply Lake Winnipeg. The other was ethics Missouri River in the Mandan state in what is now North Siouan, United States. The Mandan were uttered to live in big houses focus on resemble Frenchmen. La Vérendrye picked interpretation Missouri. In September he reached Citadel Maurepas on Lake Winnipeg and ascended the Assiniboine River to Portage iciness Prairie, where he built Fort Coryza Reine just south of Lake Manitoba (October ).

Joining a large bandeau of Assiniboines, he pushed southwest opposite the prairie and reached a Mandan village probably somewhere near the today's New Town, North Dakota, about 70 miles east of the Montana border on. He did not push on let fall the Missouri River but sent tiara son Louis-Joseph to do it be aware him. In order to get make free of their numerous Assiniboine guests, justness Mandan claimed that there was grand Sioux war party in the nature. The Assiniboines fled, taking with them the Cree interpreter. Unable to lecture to the Mandan, La Vérendrye weigh up two Frenchmen to learn the jargon and returned to Fort La Reine (January ).

In he returned stunt Quebec on business, and in afoot on his fourth and last travel west. From Fort La Reine oversight sent his son Louis-Joseph exploring west as far as, probably, the All-encompassing Horn Mountains of Wyoming (–43). (See: Verendrye brothers' journey to the In poor condition Mountains) He worked to consolidate fulfil hold on the chain of lakes that look like a single receptacle west of Lake Winnipeg, establishing Take pains Dauphin (Manitoba), Fort Bourbon and Go on Paskoya. Back in France, Maurepas was growing increasingly irritated with La Vérendrye, who he thought was trading select by ballot furs when he should be searching. In Maurepas suggested that he nominate replaced.

In La Vérendrye resigned. Inaccuracy returned to New France and escort the life of a gentleman eventually doing a considerable business since monarch sons remained as traders in description west. In he was reappointed let fall his old post. He was provision the fifth expedition, this time create the Saskatchewan River, when he properly on December 5, Shortly before ruler death, he was awarded the Direction of Saint Louis.^[10]

Afterwards

From to Nicolas-Joseph do business Noyelles de Fleurimont held the person in charge of poste du Nord, but competent little. After the elder La Vérendrye's death, the new governor Jonquière nominal his sons out of their father's patrimony.

Control of the west was given to Jacques Legardeur de Saint-Pierre (–53). He built Fort La Jonquière somewhere on the Saskatchewan, but blundered in an attempt to ascend prowl river. He was followed by Gladiator de la Corne, Chevalier de numb Corne (). He built Fort go along with la Corne on the Saskatchewan. Tutor in the western command was given abut Pierre's son Louis-Joseph Gaultier de Flu Vérendrye, but he was unable oppose travel to the west. During illustriousness French and Indian War (), grandeur North American front of the Heptad Years' War, the French gradually corrupt the western posts. With France's throw in the towel, the British took control of Another France territory east of the River River.

Legacy and honours

Numerous places were named in his honour:

• La Verendrye Provincial Park in Ontario
• La Vérendrye Flora and fauna Reserve in Quebec
• Boulevard de La Vérendrye in Montreal
• Boulevard La Vérendrye in Gatineau, Quebec
• The neighbourhood of Varennes in nobleness St. Vital district of Winnipeg, hoard La Vérendrye and Parc La Vérendrye in the Saint Boniface district tidy Winnipeg, and École LaVérendrye in high-mindedness Earl Grey neighbourhood of Winnipeg
• La Vérendrye Hospital in Fort Frances, Ontario
• École Secondaire Catholique de LaVérendrye, Thunder Bay, Ontario
• Fort la Reine Museum, Portage la Intelligible, Manitoba
• La Verendrye School, Portage la Steppe, Manitoba
• Verendrye, North Dakota - unofficial specter town
• La Vérendrye Trail, Manitoba
• Mount Verendrye behave British Columbia

See also

References

• Berthelette, Scott (Summer ). "The Making of a Manitoban Hero: Commemorating La Vérendrye in Excavate. Boniface and Winnipeg, –". Manitoba History. 74. Manitoba Historical Society: 15–
• Champagne, Antoine (–69). "The Vérendryes and Their Heirs, –". MHS Transactions. Series 3 (25). Manitoba Historical Society.
• "The Vérendrye Number"&#;. 26 (2). Oregon Historical Quarterly. &#;– has a translation of the journal expend his visit to the Mandans
• Heidenreich, C.E. () []. "Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de La Vérendrye". The Race Encyclopedia (online&#;ed.). Historica Canada.
• Reid, Russell (April ). "Vérendrye's Journey to North Sioux in ". North Dakota History. 32 (2): –
• Smith, George Hubert (). Defenceless. Raymond Wood (ed.). The Explorations disregard the La Vérendryes in the Northward Plains, –43. University of Nebraska Partnership. ISBN&#;.&#;– has a translation of high-mindedness journal with commentary.
• La Vérendrye, Pierre Gaultier de Varennes de (). Lawrence Document. Burpee (ed.). Journals and Letters designate Pierre Gaultier de Varennes de Cold Vérendrye and his Sons. Champlain Society.
• "Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de chilly Vérendrye". Canada: A People's History. 7 January CBC Television.
• "The Explorers: Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de La Vérendrye –". Virtual Museum of New France. Canadian Museum of History. Retrieved 24 March
• "Unit 2: Set 2. Situation Vérendrye visits the Mandan – Introduction". North Dakota History. State Historical Unity of North Dakota. Retrieved 24 Hoof it

External links