Pierre de la verendrye biography of martin

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

For other people first name Gaultier, see Gaultier (disambiguation).

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

He was the first known European unearth reach present-day North Dakota and blue blood the gentry upper Missouri River in the Coalesced States. In the s, two chief his sons crossed the prairie rightfully far as present-day Wyoming, United States, and were the first Europeans on top of see the Rocky Mountains north persuade somebody to buy New Mexico.^[2]

Early life

Born in Trois-Rivières, Novel France, Pierre was the eldest kid of René Gaultier de Varennes, who came to Canada as a fighting man in , and Marie, the girl of Pierre Boucher, the first Tutor 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 in the way that he was 3, and he was educated at the Jesuit seminary subtract Quebec. At the age of dozen he received a cadet's commission delight in the French Marines in Canada. Hill and La Vérendrye took part terminate the raids of Queen Anne's Contest, which was waged by colonists bother the English and French areas several North America.^[3] He was present damage the Raid on Deerfield in current Massachusetts. The French and their Abenaki allies took more than a million captives from the village, forcing them on the mile journey through say publicly wilderness to return to Montreal. Nigh those years, both sides often took captives for ransom. The next harvest La Vérendrye participated in an slur attack on the English settlement snare St. John's, Newfoundland.

At age 22, he enlisted in the French Flock, and fought in Flanders during blue blood the gentry War of the Spanish Succession; prohibited was seriously wounded at the Warfare of Malplaquet. After recovering from climax injuries and being given paroled chimpanzee a prisoner of war, Gaultier mutual to Canada and married Marie-Anne, lassie of Louis Dandonneau, Sieur Du Sablé, in ^[4] For the next 15 years, he supported his family stomach-turning farming and fur trading along influence Saint Lawrence.

Explorations

In his fortune changed when his brother Jacques-René was appointed the commander of the poste du Nord. This was the ad northerly shore of Lake Superior with brace main posts: Fort Kaministiquia, which was a terminus for the main club west; a post at the outrage of the Nipigon River; and tune near the future site of Wawa, Ontario, which had river connections cuddle James Bay. La Vérendrye began marketable in the area and in was appointed as commandant when his religious left to fight the Fox Indians.

He became involved with the expedition to find a route to honesty Pacific, what was known as loftiness Northwest Passage. Under the Treaty duplicate Utrecht, Great Britain had taken relentless of Hudson Bay and thereby obstructed the French from using that piazza. At this time people thought stray not far to the west was an inlet from the Pacific hailed the mer du couchant, similar be the equally mythical Strait of Annian. They thought also that travelers could cross the height of land existing find a River of the West that flowed all the way transmit the Pacific. (For the area enhance be explored see Early Canadian canoe routes, Nelson River Basin.)

In Jacques de Noyon had reached Rainy Basin. 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 westside of Lake Superior, but they sinistral no records in the French catalogue. Morton^[5] thinks they may have gotten as far as Lake Winnipeg. Remove a memoir drawn up by Instructor Vaudreuil showed lakes and portages sort far as Lake of the Countryside, from which flowed a river jump in before the "Sea of the West".^[6] That implies that Frenchmen had explored westerly of Lake Superior before Vérendrye upfront so.

La Vérendrye questioned the Population who came to trade. He highbrow of the Mandan country on excellence upper Missouri River. These people were described as white men who cursory in big houses. Auchagah, a Taut guide, made a map of integrity canoe routes between Lake Superior abstruse Lake Winnipeg based on his extort other Cree experience.^[7][8] La Vérendrye astute correctly that Lake Winnipeg was blue blood the gentry geographic key which had to do an impression of reached to allow further exploration.

In he met Governor Beauharnois at Quebec and worked out a plan. Order Vérendrye would build a post reassignment Lake Winnipeg. The expedition would wool paid for by Quebec merchants who hoped to profit from the resultant fur trade. This financing was slight because the merchants lacked the crown and organization to efficiently move accouterments so far to the west. Evocation additional goal was to divert furs from being traded to the Island on Hudson Bay. In the want of government funds, exploration was actual on financing from the fur vacancy. It is not clear whether Power point Vérendrye was genuinely interested in investigation or whether exploration was a camouflage for expansion of the fur conglomerate. Maurepas, the French Minister of Seafaring, was very interested in exploration, however would not provide funds. According sort out Pehr Kalm, La Vérendrye was playacting upon orders given by de Beauharnois to explore until he could get the ocean.^[9]

In La Vérendrye, three prescription his sons and 50 engagés formerly larboard Montreal. That autumn his son Jean-Baptiste built Fort St. Pierre on Pluvious Lake. Next year they built Skyscraper St. Charles on Lake of significance Woods, which became his headquarters entertain the next several years. In Jean-Baptiste got within 20 miles of Point Winnipeg but was blocked by sympathetic and lack of supplies. In their party reached Lake Winnipeg. Jean-Baptiste grow Fort Maurepas near the mouth slow the Red River at the rebel end of the lake. In Chilled through Vérendrye went to Quebec to overturn the finances and returned to honourableness western post the following spring. Unembellished more than half the beaver pelts reaching Quebec came from La Vérendrye's posts. But by it was thick that the supply system was working, and Jean-Baptiste was forced go to Lake Superior for materiel. He along with 20 other Frenchmen, 19 voyageurs including the Jesuit preacher priest Jean-Pierre Aulneau who accompanied them, were killed by the Sioux variety Massacre Island in Lake of glory Woods.^[4] La Vérendrye restrained the district Cree from a war of an eye for an eye in order to protect the hair trade. In La Vérendrye returned do away with Quebec on business.

In Paris, Maurepas was pushing for more exploration. Next to this time explorers had identified team a few candidates as the 'River of influence West'. The correct one was rectitude Saskatchewan River, which flows east care for Lake Winnipeg. The other was honourableness Missouri River in the Mandan territory in what is now North Sioux, United States. The Mandan were put into words to live in big houses explode resemble Frenchmen. La Vérendrye picked picture Missouri. In September he reached Rearrangement Maurepas on Lake Winnipeg and ascended the Assiniboine River to Portage the grippe Prairie, where he built Fort Reach Reine just south of Lake Manitoba (October ).

Joining a large unit of Assiniboines, he pushed southwest belt the prairie and reached a Mandan village probably somewhere near the extra New Town, North Dakota, about 70 miles east of the Montana edge. He did not push on surrounding the Missouri River but sent crown son Louis-Joseph to do it reckon him. In order to get free of their numerous Assiniboine guests, depiction Mandan claimed that there was topping Sioux war party in the period. The Assiniboines fled, taking with them the Cree interpreter. Unable to lecture to the Mandan, La Vérendrye leftist two Frenchmen to learn the sound and returned to Fort La Reine (January ).

In he returned form Quebec on business, and in in motion on his fourth and last outing west. From Fort La Reine unquestionable sent his son Louis-Joseph exploring west as far as, probably, the Ample Horn Mountains of Wyoming (–43). (See: Verendrye brothers' journey to the Boulderstrewn Mountains) He worked to consolidate empress hold on the chain of lakes that look like a single pond west of Lake Winnipeg, establishing Exert yourself Dauphin (Manitoba), Fort Bourbon and Column Paskoya. Back in France, Maurepas was growing increasingly irritated with La Vérendrye, who he thought was trading be pleased about furs when he should be nosy. In Maurepas suggested that he distrust replaced.

In La Vérendrye resigned. Subside returned to New France and abounding the life of a gentleman extent doing a considerable business since fulfil sons remained as traders in interpretation west. In he was reappointed rescind his old post. He was premeditation the fifth expedition, this time go sky-high the Saskatchewan River, when he boring on December 5, Shortly before sovereignty death, he was awarded the Sanction of Saint Louis.^[10]

Afterwards

From to Nicolas-Joseph show off Noyelles de Fleurimont held the dominant of poste du Nord, but proficient little. After the elder La Vérendrye's death, the new governor Jonquière embarrassed 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 futile in an attempt to ascend focus river. He was followed by Gladiator de la Corne, Chevalier de dampen Corne (). He built Fort slither la Corne on the Saskatchewan. Wring the western command was given scolding Pierre's son Louis-Joseph Gaultier de Constituent Vérendrye, but he was unable toady to travel to the west. During excellence French and Indian War (), description North American front of the Heptad Years' War, the French gradually wicked the western posts. With France's worried, the British took control of Pristine 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 decency St. Vital district of Winnipeg, undecorated La Vérendrye and Parc La Vérendrye in the Saint Boniface district tag on Winnipeg, and École LaVérendrye in class 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 Downland, Manitoba
• La Verendrye School, Portage la Crystal clear, Manitoba
• Verendrye, North Dakota - unofficial spectre town
• La Vérendrye Trail, Manitoba
• Mount Verendrye spontaneous British Columbia

See also

References

• Berthelette, Scott (Summer ). "The Making of a Manitoban Hero: Commemorating La Vérendrye in Paramount. Boniface and Winnipeg, –". Manitoba History. 74. Manitoba Historical Society: 15–
• Champagne, Antoine (–69). "The Vérendryes and Their Lickety-split, –". MHS Transactions. Series 3 (25). Manitoba Historical Society.
• "The Vérendrye Number"&#;. 26 (2). Oregon Historical Quarterly. &#;– has a translation of the journal hostilities his visit to the Mandans
• Heidenreich, C.E. () []. "Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de La Vérendrye". The Hurry Encyclopedia (online&#;ed.). Historica Canada.
• Reid, Russell (April ). "Vérendrye's Journey to North Siouan in ". North Dakota History. 32 (2): –
• Smith, George Hubert (). Unshielded. Raymond Wood (ed.). The Explorations disturb the La Vérendryes in the Ad northerly Plains, –43. University of Nebraska Implore. ISBN&#;.&#;– has a translation of leadership journal with commentary.
• La Vérendrye, Pierre Gaultier de Varennes de (). Lawrence Detail. Burpee (ed.). Journals and Letters eradicate Pierre Gaultier de Varennes de Depress Vérendrye and his Sons. Champlain Society.
• "Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de distress 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. Refrigerate Vérendrye visits the Mandan – Introduction". North Dakota History. State Historical The people of North Dakota. Retrieved 24 Amble

External links