Suite101

Explorers of Canada, Part XII: Sieurs des Groseilliers


© David Newman

Médard Chouart, Sieur des Groseilliers, was born in Saint-Cyr, France around 1618. He made it to Canada around 1641 or 1642 to work with the Jesuit Missionaries in Huronia. In 1647, Des Groseilliers returns from the Hurons and settles in Trois-Rivières where he marries the sister of Pierre-Esprit Radisson, his companion.

He returns to France in 1649 but his time there is brief and he returns a year later to Acadia and eventually Québec.

In 1654 he comes in contact with the Ottawa who want to trade with the French. They bring along Des Groseilliers and Radisson with them. The two courreur des bois return, two years later, with very valuable pelts. Des Groseilliers stays in Trois-Rivières for the winter and then goes to Saint-Maurice to continue his life with the Indians.

In 1658 he and Radisson along with Jesuit priests and other Frenchmen go up the Ottawa River but are stopped by the Iroquois. Somehow the two explorers make it out and split up their paths. Sieur des Groseilliers goes south and explores the north part of the Mississippi and explores the region of the southern Sioux tribes, a language spoken by the explorer.

In 1660 they attempt the whole thing again, going up the Ottawa River, that is. But somehow they get attacked again and the explorers meet again in Montreal and then in Trois-Rivières before deciding that they desire no more than to go up to the land of the Cree and the basin of the Hudson Bay. Unfortunately they did their trek against the will of the baron d'Avaugour; on their return they are fined 6,000 pounds and all their pelts.

Pissed off, Des Grosseilliers goes to France to plead his case to Colbert a French official and important man in the affairs of the colony. He gets only promises and so even more pissed off, on his return to America, he and Radisson decide to lend their services to the Bostonians, in 1664.

The go to England the next year. While Radisson stays in Engand, Des Grosseilliers returns aboard British ships to the Hudson Bay. It is because of them, in a big part, that the British got control of the Hudson Bay and James Bay area.

They work as promoters of the Hudson's Bay Company until their services aren't as well paid as they should be and they try to return to the French Court where Colbert gets a pardon from the King.

Go To Page: 1 2


The copyright of the article Explorers of Canada, Part XII: Sieurs des Groseilliers in Canadian Culture is owned by . Permission to republish Explorers of Canada, Part XII: Sieurs des Groseilliers in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Post this Article to facebook Add this Article to del.icio.us! Digg this Article furl this Article Add this Article to Reddit Add this Article to Technorati Add this Article to Newsvine Add this Article to Windows Live Add this Article to Yahoo Add this Article to StumbleUpon Add this Article to BlinkLists Add this Article to Spurl Add this Article to Google Add this Article to Ask Add this Article to Squidoo