Browse "Colonies"

Article

Travels and Adventures in Canada and the Indian Territories between the Years 1760 and 1776

Travels and Adventures in Canada and the Indian Territories between the Years 1760 and 1776 (New York, 1809; Toronto, 1901) was written by Alexander Henry (the elder), one of the first Britons to venture into western Indigenous territory after the defeat of the French at Québec.

Article

Triangular Trade

The triangular trade was a trade route connecting France, New France and the West Indies. It was established by France’s comptroller general of finance, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, and applied in Canada in 1667 by Jean Talon, the intendant of New France. The triangular trade enabled New France to diversify its economy and establish its position on the international trade networks.

Article

Ville-Marie (Colony)

Ville-Marie was a French colony founded on 17 May 1642 on the Island of Montreal by the Société Notre-Dame de Montréal to bring Christianity to local Indigenous peoples. The colony was located in a key region for the development of agriculture and the fur trade. The colony became the modern-day city of Montreal.

Editorial

Voyage of the Nonsuch: A Turning Point in the Fur Trade

The following article is an editorial written by The Canadian Encyclopedia staff. Editorials are not usually updated.At some point in the 1650s, two adventurers from New France embarked on a journey that eventually revolutionized the fur trade and changed the course of Canadian history.

Article

Voyageurs

Voyageurs were independent contractors, workers or minor partners in companies involved in the fur trade. They were licensed to transport goods to trading posts and were usually forbidden to do any trading of their own. The fur trade changed over the years, as did the groups of men working in it. In the 17th century, voyageurs were often coureurs des bois — unlicensed traders responsible for delivering trade goods from suppliers to Indigenous peoples. The implementation of the trading licence system in 1681 set voyageurs apart from coureurs des bois, who were then considered outlaws of sorts. Today, the word voyageur, like the term coureur des bois, evokes the romantic image of men canoeing across the continent in search of furs. Their life was full of perilous adventure, gruelling work and cheerful camaraderie.

Article

Wacousta; Or, The Prophecy: A Tale of the Canadas

Wacousta; Or, The Prophecy: A Tale of the Canadas, novel by John Richardson, was published in London and Edinburgh in 1832; and in Montréal in 1868, as Wacousta; Or the Prophecy.

Video

Samuel de Champlain and the Founding of Quebec City