 he great eleven-metre Montreal Canoe near Lachine, Quebec. This historic painting clearly shows the vessel's capacity and its sixteen voyageur paddlers, almost the maximum crew. The artist and her husband are seated in the centre.
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Frances Anne Hopkins (1838-1919)
Shooting the Rapids, c. 1879
Oil on canvas
National Archives of Canada (1989-401-2X; C-2774)
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Frances Anne Hopkins (1838-1919)
Canoe Manned by Voyageurs Passing a Waterfall, 1869
Oil on canvas
National Archives of Canada (1989-401-1X; C-2771)
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his painting portraying the artist and her husband, a Hudson's Bay Company official, is among our best views of the nine- to ten-metre fur trade vessel called a "Bastard" Canoe. Experience showed that a canoe even of this length worked well in small rivers or streams. Its unusual name stems from its being a variation on both the larger Montreal Canoe and the smaller North Canoe.
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LACHINE TO GRAND PORTAGE, 1802
A list* of the contents packed into a Montreal Canoe by the North West Company for its journey west in a brigade of such vessels. At Grand Portage on Lake Superior much of this material would be transferred to smaller North Canoes and transported further into western or northern Canada.
Canoe no. 25
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| 19 |
bales of merchandise |
| 1 |
bales of black tobacco |
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of plug tobacco |
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Chewing tobacco |
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of N.W. Twist
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of bellmouthed pails |
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of copper pails |
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of tin pails |
| 1 |
of hams |
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of jewelry |
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Kegs of salt |
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of grease |
| 2 |
of powder |
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of white sugar |
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of brown sugar |
| 1 |
of lard |
| 20 |
of High Wines |
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of rum |
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of spirits |
| 1 |
of beef |
| 2 |
of butter |
| 2 |
of alcohol |
| 1 |
of port |
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of Madeira |
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of red wine |
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of French brandy |
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of tongue |
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of sausage |
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of barley |
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of rice |
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of cheese |
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of raisins |
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of figs |
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of prunes |
| 2 |
caskets of merchandise |
| 2 |
crates of iron |
| 3 |
of hats |
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of knifes |
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of guns |
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of traps |
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of soap |
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| 1 |
macaron (?) of High Wines |
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of spirits |
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of rum |
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of mix |
| 1 |
packet of iron |
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of steel |
| 1 |
bag of shot |
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of bullets |
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of peas |
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of corn |
| Total: 64 pieces |
| Names of the 9 voyageurs [sic] |
| Food supplies, i.e: |
| 8 |
bags of ship's biscuits |
| 2 |
of peas |
| 200 |
pounds of lard |
| Ship's gear, i.e.: |
| 1 |
axe |
| 1 |
tin plate |
| 1 |
stove |
| 2 |
tarpaulins |
| 5 |
fishing lines |
| 1 |
pail |
| 1 |
awl |
| 1 |
roll of bark |
| 6 |
bales of wattap |
| 1 |
trammel |
| 12 to 18 pounds of gum |
*Courtesy of the Fur Trade Museum, Lachine, Quebec
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