Voyageurs Highway 1971

Voyageurs Highway 1971
Thursday, January 18th
11:00 AM
Osborne Conservation Center

Join Larry and Margaret Stone as they recall their 1,200-mile, 109-day canoe trip in 1971 following the rivers and lakes of Canada’s Voyageurs’ Highway. Their slide program begins at 11 a.m. Thursday, January 18, at the Osborne Conservation Center.

More than 200 years ago, the waters of north-central North America teemed with commerce, as voyageurs in birch bark canoes carried beaver pelts and other animal skins to Lake Superior from regions as far north as the Arctic. Most of the furs were bound for clothing factories in Europe.

The hardy voyageurs would spend the winter trapping and trading with indigenous people in the interior, then carry canoe loads of furs to Grand Portage on Lake Superior. At Grand portage, they’d spend a few days in revelry, get provisions and trade goods (and alcohol!) to last through the next season, then paddle back north on a quest for more furs.

The Stones paddled many of the same waters, trudged over the same portages, and camped at campsites visited by the voyageurs two centuries ago. Their photos and commentary will take the audience on a virtual adventure over a route that remains popular with today’s wilderness travelers.

For more information on events visit www.claytoncountyconservation.org or call 563-245-1516.