Voyageur Encampment 2018: A Unique Bit of Colonial American History

In case you haven't noticed, I've been very busy in my time-travel adventures; it seems that every weekend I find myself wearing my period clothing. In fact (and this is the truth), when I wear my modern clothing I need to sort of re-acclimate myself to the t-shirt 'n' jeans fashion of my 21st century self.

Well, the last weekend in August was no different; there I was again, wearing my 1770s finest at another early American colonial-era event. If you've been counting, that's seven events in six weeks (two weekends found me in different periods in time the same weekend).

I must be honest here: when so many cannot wait to get out of their historic clothing after a day spent reenacting, I find myself very comfortable in them. Truth be told, my 1770s clothing is far more comfortable than my 1860s clothes. And even, to some extent, my modern clothes. I'd wear my knee breaches & cocked hat daily if I could easily get away with it.

Ah...maybe one day when I'm older...then people could think I was senile!
Anyhow, I hope you enjoy this photo-laden 'report' of how this weekend went for us.

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Let's begin with a brief history lesson on the Voyageurs:

We had high sustaining winds on the 

Saturday of the event, and my flag 

was a-blowin' proudly and patriotically.

I was very pleased at how well my tent 

held up to the strong wind gusts. 

And I was even gladder that Larissa 

took this wonderful picture!

Michigan, my home state, had a very different history during the 18th century than, say, the states on the east coast; this area of the expanding country - and even more specifically, on the very same ground of which we were reenacting upon - had a group of fur traders known as the Voyageurs, adventurous men and women who were unique to this general region of southeastern Michigan and what is now Ontario, Canada.
The Voyageurs were Great Lakes fur traders, missionaries, and explorers that came to the area in the early 1600's. They were of French origin, though they did not come directly from France. Rather, they came from the large French settlements in Montreal and Quebec.  From the 1670s until the 1800s, these fur traders and homesteaders started traveling through the Great Lakes region of North America,
The Voyageurs befriended and learned from the local Indians who they met on their journeys. They built earthen huts and farmed "strip farms," which were long pieces of land beginning at the narrow end near the lake and extended inland for about a half mile. In this way they were able to take full advantage of the natural waterways of the Detroit and St. Clair Rivers as well as Lake St. Clair itself.
These folks were known for buying, selling and trading animal fur and pelts. They adapted the Indian-style canoes and bateaux (a small, flat-bottomed rowboat used on rivers) to move their furs, as well as using sailboats.
And now here in the 21st century, the Lac Ste. Claire Voyageur reenactors/living historians recreate the life of their counterparts from the 17th, 18th, and early 19th centuries. I have visited their encampments numerous times over the years and have befriended a few of these fine folk. And in the year 2015, for the first time, I got to participate in one of their reenactments, which was a fine experience indeed! No, I'm not claiming to necessarily be a Voyageur, for I do remain an 18th century east coast colonist. But I also portray a colonial farmer and I, along with my presentation partner, Larissa, were invited to share our knowledge of this life and its duties, and we were both honored to do so. They welcomed us with open arms, and though it was my fourth year participating in this reenactment, it was our second time presenting in this capacity with them.
And what great fun it was, as you shall see.
The Voyageur reenactors really do a great job teaching the history connected with the original Voyageurs, Coureur de bois (French/Indian trapper of the Great Lakes), early settlers, and military of the Great Lakes fur trade era. Their living history reenactments of the lifestyles and skills of the region include demonstrations and displays of canoe building, traditional crafts and skills, trade goods and artifacts, blacksmithing, campfire cooking, cannons and weaponry. They also play music, dance, tell stories, give lectures and just do a fine job teaching about the general history of this long ago culture - a part of American history greatly over-looked.
I believe our farming presentation fits in perfectly.
Naturally, as I moved among the traders, I had my hidden camera ready at a moment's notice to snap a piece of history not shown very often in other parts of the U.S., and I would like to share them with you. There are quite a few photos here, so sit back and relax.
As you are about to find out, there are some interesting and varied stories to be seen and told, and I would like to begin with a small telling of 18th century home life as the way it was in my birthplace of Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit:

Jeff gave a splendid presentation on home life in 18th century Detroit, 
considered a frontier outpost fort at the time.

And he brought along a variety of replicated artifacts
one might find should they enter a home of an
18th century Detroiter, including entertainments,
games, dinnerware, and the necessary tools
for survival.

One of the more interesting objects I saw I wasn't quite sure of its use: was it a scalp taken by the local Indian tribe? Or maybe a...wig?
Well...

'Twas a queue for men who had short hair and wanted
to look stylish!

I don't have that problem...for my hair is long.

(except on top of my head - lol -
But that's where a hat is perfect!)

There was wonderful period music wafting throughout the encampment by the awesome group, Mcspillin:

I simply love to hear period music done in a traditional manner, 
and this group is one of the best out there!

A trading post was set up - - -

Some folks go all out to bring authenticity to this encampment, 
like what Ron Miller does with his trading post.
Isn't this something?.

A trading post was where the trading or selling of goods took place, 
and usually the preferred travel route to a trading post or between trading posts, was known as a trade route.

Trading posts were also places for people to meet and exchange the news of the world or simply the news from their home country (many of the world's trading posts were located in places which were popular destinations for emigration) in a time or an area where newspapers were scarce.

Trading posts were also very common in the early settlements of Canada and the United States for the trade of such things as fur, hatchets, arms, canoes, and other such necessities. They were also used in many camps across the United States as places to buy snacks, items and souvenirs.

Here we see large metal pots, items to make winter travel a mite easier, and, in the photo below, we see swords, knives...

For protection and survival - - 

As well as guns and powder horns - - 

And other items that can be used for making camp and even lite farming.

And there were traders of fur and other implements
throughout the encampment, not just at the trading post.

Some just enjoyed opportunities to share news of the day...

There were also surveyors about, and they took their time to explain the art of surveying as it was done on the 18th and early 19th century, concentrating mainly on our local area.

Surveyors are some of the unsung heroes in the birth
of our nation. In fact, one of the interesting things
brought up was that three of the four Presidents on
Mount Rushmore were surveyors: George Washington,
Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln.

Jim Strode, a mainstay in the colonial reenacting world,
was there with his pewter work.

Honey and fur for sale - - - and I plum forgot to by some!

And this young woman - Shannon - represented a Yankee peddler, and she would travel to the towns, villages, farms, and homes to sell her wares, which may have consisted of anything from pins, needles, scissors, buttons, and combs, to larger items such as second-hand clothes, plates, shoes/moccasins, wooden kitchen utensils, and maybe children's toys such as a cloth doll.

Even our next-door neighbor, Sandy, had wares to sell...items that she spun and made herself such as mittens, socks, bags, and the like.

Here we have Ken and Lynn, both longtime
members of the Lac Ste. Claire Voyageurs
(Photo courtesy of Lynn Anderson)

The different styles of camping of these reenactors always amazes me...and, yes, most stay in their camps the entire weekend.

And we have another camp site where friends can gather to swap stories...

Now, many of you may know that many times I represent a colonial farmer (yes, yes - I present as Paul Revere, too, but I switch it up between the two), and for a second year my presentation partner, Larissa, and I had been asked to show life on the farm during the 18th century.

Farmers Larissa & Ken
Too bad there was no farmland around for our picture - - 

We based our farming story around the same one we use for our 1860s farming presentation:
it seems like every farm family seen in movies or on TV have large families, with a mess of boys and girls to help around the fields and home.
Well, this simply was not true in so many of the cases - not everyone had large families. So our story tells of our lives as the parents of only two children, and both are female. So we go into how we raised our eldest daughter to help me with the out door farming chores while our youngest was being raised with her mother and learning more of the fine arts of domestic life.
But the heart of our presentation centers around our living by the seasons, and what we must do in each to survive.

We always bring along a variety of artifacts - most replicated, but some, like this hay rake, being originals.

This young man found himself wearing a yoke.
I need to get a couple of wooden buckets for each end.

No, this is not a sickle - it is a scythe - and it is used to cut grass or grain by hand.

Since carding machines were not around in the 1770s, carding wool by hand was a necessary chore before spinning the wool into yarn on the...

...spinning wheel.
This here is also known as a great wheel.
Or it's a walking wheel.
It is known by all three names.
More importantly, it was a very important simple machine
in most farm homes.

Just what the heck is this next tool that I am holding?

Why...it's a flail.
This agricultural tool was used to thresh the wheat -
separating the grains from the husks

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, with a flail, one man could thresh 7 bushels of wheat, 8 of rye, 15 of barley, 18 of oats, or 20 of buckwheat in a day. The flail remained the principal method of threshing until the mid-19th century, when mechanical threshers became widespread

And there was much more, which you shall read about in an upcoming post on the colonial farm life.
But we also spoke a little on our clothing:

No, I'm not going to show you the big red and yellow Superman "S" - just showing my waistcoat, which is of a slightly older fashion, more suitable to the 1760s than the 1770s. But as a farmer working the fields to stay alive, I'm not necessarily going to be caring as much on up-to-date fashion as a city man.

Larissa also spoke on her style, including the importance of her apron, her day cap, and the other clothing she is wearing, including (hush!) her underpinnings.

I am proud to say that we had wonderful comments by those who attended, and we do appreciate it. It helps that we've been doing these sort of presentations together for at least a half-dozen years.

Well, now, one of the coolest things that reenactors at this event get to do is paddle a canoe out into Lake St. Clair. Lake St, Clair is not technically a part of the five Great Lakes that our part of the country is known for, because its size is, well, not quite as great as lakes Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior. But it has played an important role in the State of Michigan's history. Situated between the Detroit River and the St. Clair River, many settlements, whether Native American or European or both, took place on its banks. So to be in period clothing and have the opportunity to travel into its historic waters in a period canoe is an experience few in our day and age have had.

The canoe crew!

The Padre' gives a blessing to those who were about to travel the waterway.

And typical of many Priests, he continued to bless them...

Larissa, seen being helped onto the canoe, was thrilled to be able to take part.

Heading out into the waters of Lake St. Clair...

Me and the Padre' watch as they leave the docked area.

Larissa took a few very cool shots while the men paddled,
including this one of Mcspillin providing music.

Larissa mentioned to me that hearing the music of Mcspillin behind her and see the view in the picture below in front of her, it was the perfect ride.

What period canoe travel looked like from the inside.

They were out much further than what this photo seems to show - - I used my zoom lens. They were probably a little past a quarter mile out into the lake.

Lake St. Clair is approximately 26 miles long and 24 miles wide, with a surface area of 430 square miles and 130 miles of shoreline, though it is relatively shallow, with an average depth of about 10 feet (27 feet at it's deepest point). In our modern times, some five million people receive their drinking water from the lake, which also hosts an impressive array of wildlife. The St. Clair River delta, located at the northern end of the lake, provides an important habitat for fish and migrating waterfowl. The largest coastal delta in the Great Lakes system, it contains the majority of the lake's remaining wetlands.
Lake St. Clair is also a crucial link in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence transportation system. On average, commercial vessels pass through the lake some 3,000 times a year, using the shipping channel dredged through the center of the lake. Despite its importance, the lake has not received the same attention as the five larger Great Lakes. Indeed, resource management plans are in place for the five Great Lakes and even for many of their tributary rivers with significant pollution problems, including the St. Clair, Clinton and Detroit rivers. Until recently , though, Lake St. Clair was largely left out of such programs, leading some to consider it the "forgotten lake".

At a certain point, the crew turned the canoe around to head back to shore

Though not seen in this picture, there were numerous modern craft, such as sailboats and jet skis, that came pretty close to our time-traveling friends to make sure they were not seeing an apparition from the past.
They were - - - 

Larissa told me that her living history world came full circle on this day at Metro Beach:

She said that when she was younger, so much younger than today, she went to her first reenactment known as 'Feast of the Hunter's Moon' while visiting relatives near West Lafayette, Indiana. At the event, which included a replicated 18th century French military and trading post called Fort Ouiatenon, she saw Voyageurs paddling out onto the water. She thought that was so cool...she knew that was something she would love to do, even at such a young age. In fact, Larissa told me that this was when the living history bug first bit her. And now, all these years later, she, herself, participated in the very same activity that got the ball rolling (though at a different event).

What an awesome story!

'Feast of the Hunter's Moon,' by the way, is still a major reenactment to this day. I have yet to attend, but hope to in the future.

Welcome to the camp, I guess you all know why we're here...

My bride and I.
This was her first time out reenacting all year. Our dog, Paul Anka, slammed into her when she was playing with him and she fell, breaking two bones and dislocating her ankle. That was in May.
Now, here she is!! 

At each reenactment there are those times when no modern folks are around. Now, in most cases, we will take this opportunity to practice our 1st person/immersion. Though I do this quite often at our Civil War events, I must admit that I haven't really done this too much at the colonial reenactments, outside of my presentations as Paul Revere or as a farmer. This is something I am hoping to rectify in the future because, in all honesty, once you can get it to a reasonably believable faction (read: not scripted or acted - - rather, natural), 1st person/immersion can be quite an amazing experience.
Just need to find willing participants...and I am, more and more...

My bride and me:
Her first time out reenacting
this year!

One is my real wife,
and one is my reenacting
farm wife~

Yes, we had a fine time indeed!

What the heck am I wearing around my waist?
Why, it's a pocket, of course! In fact, it's my wife's
pocket; in colonial times, women did not have
pockets in their dresses, which was somewhat more
common in the mid-19th century, so they made them
and tied them around their waist.
And since men's knee breeches don't have pockets,
I wore my wife's. Well...only for this picture!

And we have Marco...bottle in one arm and a musket in the other...

And there you have it - another weekend, another opportunity to travel through time!

What a fine time indeed - - many, many thanks to my Voyageur friends for accepting me, Larissa, and my wife Patty. You made us feel very welcome.

On a final note:
As often as I reenact, no matter which time period, each one is different.
You would not think so, would you? I mean, they're pretty much all the same, right?
Not. At. All.
Each one is as different as the day is long, especially for someone like me who reenacts two periods - 1770s and 1860s.
The point is, I don't 'dabble' in these periods - - - I dive into them----I try to put my all into which ever era I reenact, as I know numerous friends of mine do as well, and I try to research the periods intently. And the research never stops - - in fact, I just received a book in the mail the day before the Voyageur reenactment took place, and it's called "The American Farmer in the Eighteenth Century: A Social and Cultural History" by Richard L. Bushman. It must have been meant to be for me for it was published on my birthday – May 22, 2018.
You can bet where my nose will be this coming winter!

So, with that being said, I am, at this time, making plans for a unique time-travel adventure coming up - one of which I've never done the likes of before - and you know I will write about it in a future posting not too distant.

Until next time, see you in time.



(Thanks to Larissa Fleishman and Lynn Anderson for allowing me use a some of their pictures.
I appreciate it)

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