Voyageurs: French Exploration of the New World

It often took two months for the seafaring journeys that brought European explorers to what is now North America. But following the 1492 voyage of Christopher Columbus, they came—they rushed—to claim land for their countries. French voyageurs worked for fur companies to transport goods to and from the New World’s trading posts. The life was hard, but they were romanticized as heroes. Voyageurs chronicles the years of the Great Lakes fur trade and reveals the lifestyle, demands, and rewards of this unique era in history.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.