Lesson 9: Explorers Head In: The Mississippi, LaSalle, Kelsey

A. The Mississippi: Louis Jolliet and Father Marquette
1) Primary Texts:
MFHC: ch 8.2

2) Map(s): of their journey down the Mississippi
this map shows the short cut for the journey back.

From enchanted Learning: Outline map of North American Rivers: label the Mississippi (use an atlas to figure it out) or use the answer key


3) Activities:
colouring page, Dover, p. 34
Cool interactive puzzle of the Mississippi River here
Instructions for making a 3-D map (would work for any region)

4) Time-line Figure or image: here from The Virtual Museum of New France website.
placement: 1673
other: illustrations from rare books. Includes some of La Salle.

5) Supplemental readings:
Father Marquette's Journal by Jacques Marquette
Further account of their journey from Pathfinders and Passageways.
brief description of journey here. Suitable for outlining.

CBYR: Loius Jolliet

B. The Journeys of LaSalle
1) Primary Texts:
MFHC: 8.4

Video: Episode 3: Claiming the Wilderness: To the Upper Country (LaSalle).

2) Map(s): On this map, locate Fort Frontenac (Kingston) and Niagara Falls. Then trace La Salle's route to the Mackinac, then to the Wisconsin River.
See this map for reference.

3) Activities:

4) Time-line Figure or image: Fort "Brokenheart" (or, properly, Crevecourt)
More to our purposes, Fort Frontenac. According to Wikipedia, LaSalle replaced a wooden fort already there with one made of stone.
placement: 1675

5) Supplemental readings:
From The Virtual Museum of New France, see Emissary and Protégé of Frontenac, Builder of Forts, and Louisiana for the sections which correspond to Dickie's account.

brief account here from enchanted learning.

a much more detailed (and likely more accurate) history from The Pathfinders and Passageways website.

The Adventures of LaSalle and The Adventures of LaSalle, (continued) from Our Empire Story by H. E. Marshall.

The Friends of the Indians from The Men Who Found America by Frederick Winthrop Hutchinson

CBYR: Rene-Robert Cavelier de La Salle

C. Henry Kelsey
1) Primary Texts:
MFHC: 8.5

2) Map(s): take this one and edit it to "end" just beyond Lake Manitoba.

3) Activities: make pemmican. In a more or less tradional way
or use a recipe that's less traditional but more palatable. Here's one with pictures and helpful details about the fat and cut of meat, etc. Also includes a meatless version.

4) Time-line Figure or image: Kelsey on the prairies
placement: 1690

5) Supplemental readings:
a brief biography.
a very nice account from the History of the Hudson's Bay Company site.
An account of Kelsey on the plains.



*do a historical person report.

Lesson 8: The Fur Trade, Talon, and The Fishing Admirals

A. Radisson and Groseilliers
1) Primary Texts:
MFHC: 7.1, 7.2, 7.4
CS,
KBCE: pp. 34-35
C&C: p. 26

2) Map(s):
(a) Trace the route Radisson and Groseilliers took to Hudson's bay by land. Colour in the other areas they went to. (Dickie, p. 53)
(b) Locate Fort Charles
(c) Colour all the rivers that "empty into the Hudson's bay" in red. Label it "Rupert's Land." use this map

3) Activities: colouring page of the popular rodent here or try this one. Make a paper model.

Make felt. instructions here. and here making felt from old sweaters, and a good explanation of how it works here

How to make a hat from store bought felt. (Rather advanced).
Making a doll-sized hat from felt.

4) Time-line Figure or image:
placement: 1670, Hudson's Bay Company founded.

5) Supplemental readings:
Why did the Europeans want the beaver?
(see p. 28, Heritage of Canada.)
The Beaver's importance in the fur trade discussed in this article from the on-line Encyclopedia of Canada, youth edition. Includes a nice picture of beaver hats.
Nice little history here with details of R&G's trip to London during the plague.
A rather more extensive account of their travels including their interactions and affect upon Aboriginal Peoples here. A terrific resource for maps and pictures, too.

More Reading:
(some may be out of print)

Runner of the Woods: The Story of Young Radisson by Cicero Theodore Ritchie Gr. 5+

Captured By the Mohawks and other adventures of Radisson by Sterling North Gr. 4+

Bay of the North - The Story of Pierre Radisson
by Ronald Syme
Gr. 3+

CBYR: Pierre-Esprit Radisson


B. Talon
1) Primary Texts:
MFHC: 7.3
CS,
C&C: pp. 28-29

Video: Episode 2: Adventures and Mystics: Great Expectations, Daughters of the King, Birth of the Canadiens.

2) Map(s): see the seigneurial system illustration in The Canadian Encyc. Youth Ed. (link below).

3) Activities: draw your own picture of how the farms would be laid out along the river. Include this on your notebook page.

4) Time-line Figure or image: Jean Talon
placement: 1665 (Talon arrives).

5) Supplemental readings:
Dear Canada Alone in an Untamed Land by Maxine Trottier
Great Canadian Lives, pp.76-77
Canadian Encyclopedia, youth edition: The Seigneurial system
If you wanted to spend a lot of time on this, take a look at this grade seven class project on the seigneurial system

CBYR: Jean Talon

C. The Fishing Admirals and the Newfoundlanders
1) Primary Texts:
MFHC: 7.5
CS,

2) Map(s): If I can, I'd love to find a map of the settlements established by this time in Newfoundland.

3) Activities: make cod fish cakes.

4) Time-line Figure or image: late 17thC fishing vessel flying the Admiral's standard.
placement: The authority of The Fishing Admirals was first established by King Charles I in 1634.

5) Supplemental readings:
What was a fishing admiral? Read this article from the Encyclopedia of Canada, youth edition.

this article makes it clear that the English government discouraged settlement because 1) they did not want the expense of maintaining a government in the colony year-round and 2) they were not confident they could maintain control of any such colony given what was happening in their colonies to the south. As well, the migratory fishery was in the control of powerful West Country Merchant's who held sway with the English parliament. Thus, the empowerment of the Fishing Admirals and the antagonism between them and the settlers.

photograph of salt cod drying on a wharf. photograph of flakes in Narrow's Bay.

list of books from library