French Fur Traders and Voyageurs in the American West

Rating:
Summary: Excellent, concise biographies
Review: I have come to the conclusion that anything written by or edited by Leroy Hafen is a must read. Add to that, a fine introduction by Janet Lecompte. The book itself describes 22 meaningful, condensed biographies of well known and not so well known French fur traders and trappers of the early 1800's. Each chapter conveys the
hardships, lifestyles, pressures and strategies of opposing fur companies and adventures of these early pioneers. The reader will no doubt have a few favorite chapters and from these chapters, one can look at the bibliographies to select further readings. A good book.

Rating:
Summary: Want info on Voyageurs? Don't bother with this book!
Review: I recently became interested in the contributions of the French fur trappers and voyageurs to the opening of the Canadian and American West. I bought this book and Grace Lee Nute's "The Voyageur" as my introduction to this relatively unexplored chapter of American history.

Hafen's book "French Fur Traders and Voyageurs in the American West" is a collection of biographies essentially written in the style of over-long obituaries (born such and such a date, did this on such and such a date, had so many kids, died on this date, etc.). There was very little information on the history of the fur trade, the explorations of the voyageurs, or the great fur companies. There is no personality to the writing or no life to the biographical sketches. The text is turgid, stiff, and pedantic. The only informative part of the book is the introduction by Janet Lecompte, who, in 18 pages, gives more information in the most readable style, than the entire book's 333 pages does altogether. Hafen's style reminds me of the way we were taught back in elementary and middle school when all of the kids were taught, almost by design, to despise history. Some of us learned to love history despite our educational experiences; most do not. This book would only reinforce the stereotype of unreadable and unenjoyable history (names, dates, places).

On the other hand, if you do want to learn about French fur trappers and voyageurs and their impact on the early history of the American West, read Grace Lee Nute's "The Voyageur". I don't think I have ever read a better book on early American history in a long time. Even though it was written originally in 1931 and is now published under the auspices of the Minnesota Historical Society (both fairly daunting to most history-haters), it is eminently readable, informative, and well worth the investment (i.e., it's a keeper). It delves into the impact of the voyageurs and their culture to American history, and explores their contributions to place-names. It also has a chapter on some of the songs, with the written music included, sung by voyageurs to keep their spirits up while traveling and for keeping their rhythm while paddling.

So, while the Hafen will end up at the local Friends of the Library bin, "The Voyageur" will be safely ensconced on my shelves for a very long time (at least until I can get the hardback version!).