Just as we were about to cross the border into Ontario,Canada, Wally and I saw a sign for the Grand Portage Heritage Center. Since we were only traveling about 35 more miles to Thunder Bay, we decided to check it out. The North West Company in 1803: Chief Director Simon McTavish, voyageurs who paddle far into the wilderness to swap exotic items for mostly beaver pelts, native peoples who participate in the international fur trade, and a fur trade depot inside a fort on the north shore of Lake Superior that becomes the largest in the heart of the continent. Why wouldn't this be the perfect place for everyone connected with "The Company" to rendezvous and celebrate their good fortunes in the easy weather of July?
Beaver pelts were the raw materials for making the felted top hats so highly prized by the upperclass men in England and France. Beaver fur adorned women's clothing as collars, trim and muffs. From 1784 until the mid-1800's, every beaver that could be trapped was trapped...and sold to The North West Company.
When the U.S. border was established, The North West Company felt that their business would be better off under British rule, so their depot/fort was moved 35 miles up the shore of Lake Superior. That site is called Thunder Bay, Canada today. There we found Fort William Historical Park telling the story of The North West Company's trade under the leadership of Chief Director William McGillivray in 1815. The local Ojibwe tribal people share their culture with traditional villages, an annual Pow Wow, and the building of birchbark canoes. Daily life is shown through artisans of the period at work, a farm of mixed livestock and crops being tended, and the business of The Company being carried in 42 authentic buildings.
We spent four hours at Fort William chatting with the artisans, sampling the fare from the wood-fired ovens and hearths, dancing on the main square to fiddle music, cuddling the new-born lambs and imagining those times.
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