Fur Trade Scotsmen

**Todd Bradshaw** · 8th June 16, 09:37 PM

Lately I've been spending a lot of time out in the loft above my garage refurbishing and painting a 22' fur trade canoe that I built about 40 years ago. The goal is to get it put back together and up to the lake while I'm still young enough to get it out of the big loft window and down to the ground. One of the "upgrades" was to build a small flagpole to hang out the stern, and I have a small Hudson Bay Company flag to fly from it.

My wife suggested that I should make a tartan flag from some of our fabric. I told her that (1) even13 oz. tartan probably wouldn't fly very well and (2) that it was probably mixing different cultures, as the Voyageurs who paddled these canoes were primarily French. Just for grins though, I googled "Scottish Voyageurs" and it turns out that there were plenty of them during the fur trade in Canada. Some of them even eventually split off from Hudson Bay and started The Northwest Company.

I seriously doubt anybody ever paddled in a kilt, as the skeeters and black flies would be murder and I'm not planning on trying it either, but I certainly might replace my red waist sash with a tartan one for voyaging, and won't feel out of place paddling in a tam. Has anyone ever seen old paintings depicting Scottish Voyageurs and their outfits? I also noticed that there are now tourist trips in group paddling canoes to celebrate the Scottish Voyageurs on some of the lochs in Scotland.

http://argyllvoyageurcanoes.co.uk/

1976

**Profane James** · 9th June 16, 04:42 AM

Beautiful canoe, well done!

**IsaacW** · 9th June 16, 08:03 AM

Not to be picky but the NWCo did not break off from the HBC but rather formed separately. By the 1790s, they blew HBC out of the water in terms of hides brought in and overall profits. Due to various problems, they went down a bit and eventually merged with the HBC in 1821.

The NWCo was owned and ran by a large number of Scottish gentlemen. We know that they even hired a bagpiper to play for the gentleman of the company (that piper went on to become a clerk for the company). There are a few hints toward the idea that this piper MAY have had a kilt and other Highland attire. Here is my good buddy and piper, Jeremy, working at a few fur trade sites as a piper...

Here is a painting of one of the company owners. I doubt this is typical wear (and may have been only for the portrait) but interesting, none the less.

Later one, after amalgamation of the companies, we see tartan clothing and bonnets being purchased by HBC voyageurs (revival period). Here is a little blog I did on bonnets in the fur trade... http://frenchinwisconsin.com/2013/12...-and-the-west/

**Todd Bradshaw** · 9th June 16, 09:09 AM

Thanks Isaac. Very interesting stuff and exactly the type of info I was looking for. Looks like there is no need to dig through the attic looking for my old red knit cap.

TB

**Taskr** · 9th June 16, 09:20 AM

Beautiful canoe, well done.

A considerable character within the HBC was Donald Alexander Smith
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald...nd_Mount_Royal

**Todd Bradshaw** · 9th June 16, 11:12 AM

Wow! He was certainly a busy man. That resume kind of makes the rest of us look like total slackers.

**ThistleDown** · 9th June 16, 12:54 PM

Todd, you might contact Hudsons Bay Archives for more information https://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives/hbca/.

Most of the HBC employees were Lowlanders, Orkneymen and Quebecers, so unlikely there would be kilts among them. They did sell blue bonnets with red touries through their stores after amalgamation; I was present when an original 1872 case of them was opened at Fort Langley in British Columbia years ago. The NWCo was comprised mainly of Highlanders under Partner William Mcgillivray who was born at Dunlichity, not too far from my home.

Can you identify the portrait for us?

**Liam** · 9th June 16, 06:29 PM

From the research that I have done there is very little evidence of kilt wearing in the fur trade in either the USA or Canada. I was hoping to find a plausible example of kilting associated with the early exploration and settlement of the Canadian West. I volunteer at Calgary's Heritage Park, but alas my attire is in denim bib coveralls and a tweed flat cap at the grain elevator. If any XMarkers find themselves in Calgary on a Thursday or a Saturday please find the time to visit our wonderful village and seek out the grain elevator. I will enlighten you as to it's operation and importance to a developing prairie town.