Canadian History: Told By Us

In Des Groseilliers shoes

Des Groseilliers is very historically significant, was a French fur trader in Canada. Groseilliers work with his brother in law Pierre-Esprit Radisson in fur trade exploration. They later helped found the Hudson Bay Company in 1670. Groseilliers with the help of Radisson mapped out many of the great lakes and trading route used by the settlers in the 19 century and opened lake Michigan and Lake Superior to the Jesuit missionary’s and the fur trade. Des Groseilliers was born July 31, 1618 a town called Charly-sur-Marne in France.  When he was 23 he moved to Quebec where he married his first wife Helène in 1647. Later in 1653 he married his second wife, Marguerite Hayet, the widowed step-sister of Pierre-Esprit Radisson.

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/medard-chouart-des-groseilliers/

Groseilliers worked to re-establish trade after the Iroquois destroyed the Huron missions. In 1658 he and his step brother Radisson the two of the first Europeans to contact the Sioux. From Cree traders, the men they discovered that the main source of furs lay northwest of the lake, so Groseilliers traveled there. After Groseilliers trip to the west of Lake Huron they brought back 250 natives with him. on his second trip Radisson, had accompanied him to the north and south shore of Lake Superior. On their return, back they had their fury confiscated and they were arrested because they had left New France without a license. Groseilliers went to France to appeal, without success. Afterwards he and Radisson went to Boson. In 1674 Charles Albanel had offered them money to return to French services for they were working for the HBC. Afterward they tried to rejoin the HBC but they were denied the jobs. Then in 1681 Radisson and Charles Aubert formed the NWC to compete with the HBC.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A9dard_des_Groseilliers

Des Groseillier had a very difficult life and a challenging career. Form the arguments between the French and the British and all the expeditions and traveling he had to do it must have been hard for him to stay alive all those years.