- Joseph La France
Joseph La France, (c.
1707 – (c.1745 ), was a Metis fur trader and explorer of the inland route from Montreal to Hudson's Bay.La France was born at
Michilimackinac , the son of a French fur-trader and an Ojibwa woman, in the area whereFort Michilimackinac was founded when he was a child. He became a trader early in his life working with his father and had a varied and extensive training.In 1739, having been refused a a license to trade on the grounds that he had been selling brandy to the Indians, he decided to align himself with the English traders at
Hudson's Bay . He began his trek toward there following the route ofPierre Gaultier de Varennes et de La Vérendrye throughRainy Lake ,Lake of the Woods and theWinnipeg River toLake Winnipeg . He must have made contact with some the La Vérendrye forts although no written record can confirm this assumption.La France wintered in 1740–41 with natives of the Lake Winnipeg region. In 1741–42 he wintered further west and north in the region of
Lake Manitoba andLake Winnipegosis and the lowerSaskatchewan River . He reachedYork Factory on Hudson Bay via theHayes River in June 1742. He was traveling with a large band of Indians and furs for trade.Because the
Hudson's Bay Company could not shelter French traders, La France was sent to England later in 1742. In London he metArthur Dobbs who was crusading against the HBC monopoly of the fur trade and their apparent reluctance to open up the northwest with interior forts. La France supplied crude maps as well as much information concerning the geography and demographics of the region. He recommended that the HBC meet growing French competition in the west as it was rapidly developing through the efforts of the La Vérendryes.The La France trip is considered today as an important step in the exploration of the northwest. At the time it was discounted because Dobbs’ evidence was considered suspect.
External links
* [http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=1460 Biography at the "Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online"]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
