Gichi Bitobig, Grand Marais: Early Accounts of the Anishinaabeg and the North Shore Fur Trade

277 Pages·2018·4.988 MB·English

by  Timothy Cochrane

Gichi Bitobig, Grand Marais
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Gichi Bitobig,
Early Accounts of the Anishinaabeg
and the North Shore Fur Trade
Grand Marais
TIMOTHY COCHR ANE
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA PRESS
MINNEAPOLIS ◆ LONDON
Publisher’s note: This book reprints the journals of Bela Chapman and George
Johnston, as well as the records of the Fort William Hudson’s Bay Company,
exactly as they were written in the early nineteenth century. Some of the language
and descriptions in the journals, including those of Native Americans and Native
culture, are offensive, but the original text has been preserved to maintain the
historical authenticity of these documents.
Maps drawn by Philip Schwartzberg, Meridian Mapping
Copyright 2018 by Timothy Cochrane
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored
in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written
permission of the publisher.
Published by the University of Minnesota Press
111 Third Avenue South, Suite 290
Minneapolis, MN 55401– 2520
http://www.upress.umn.edu
Printed in the United States of America on acid- free paper
The University of Minnesota is an equal- opportunity educator and employer.
24 23 22 21 20 19 18 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Cochrane, Timothy, 1955– author.
Gichi Bitobig, Grand Marais : early accounts of the Anishinaabeg and the North
Shore fur trade / Timothy Cochrane.
Minneapolis : University of Minnesota Press, [2018] | Includes bibliographical
references and index. | 
Identifiers: LCCN 2018016686 (print) | ISBN 978-1-5179-0593-4 (pb)
Subjects: LCSH: Fur trade—Minnesota—Grand Marais—History—19th century. |
American Fur Company—History—18th century. | Ojibwa Indians—
Minnesota—Grand Marais—History—18th century.
Classification: LCC HD9778.U63 C64 2018 (print) | DDC 381/.43970977675—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018016686
This book is for Jean, who, like me, relishes our time on the North Shore.
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Map of Lake Superior (Gichi Gami)
Map of North Shore ACnishoinnatabeeng Ttesrritory
viii
Introduction
x
In Grand Marais . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
American Fur C1ompany and the Trade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Espagnol’s Dilemma and the Anishinaabeg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
1
“Fort Misery” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
2
The Journals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
3
The Log of Bela Chapman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
4
The Journal of George Johnston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Excerpt from the Fort William Hudson’s Bay 151
Company Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
181
Acknowledgments
201
Notes
Index 205
209
257
v
i
i
i
Lake Superior
Place- Names
Lake Superior Gichi Gami
La Pointe
Fond du Lac, St. Louis River Gichi Gami zibi
Vermilion Lake Onamani Saug ga ig gon
Grand Marais Gichi Bitobig
Grand Portage Gichi Onimgaming
Isle Royale Minong
Whitefish Lake Adikamegosii Saug ga ig gon
Arrow Lake Bikwak Saug ga ig gon
Lac des Mille Lacs Sasagqi Saug ga ig gon
Basswood Lake Passi mi namigan ning
Rainy Lake, Lac La Pluie Gotchitching Saug ga ig gon
Lake of the Woods
Thunder Bay Animikiiwikwedinong
Lake Nipigon
Mackinaw Straits, Mackinac Island Michilimackinac Island
Sault Ste. Marie Bawating
American Fur Company Post
(Fond du Lac, eighteen miles upriver)
Hudson’s Bay Company Fort William Post
(present day Fort William, on lake edge)
ix