Indiana Trading Post

For two centuries, felt hats were a fashion statement in Europe. Felt was made from animal hair. . . the finest quality, waterproof felt made from Beaver.


The French traders ranged far and wide in pursuit of animal skins. The French didn’t actually trap and preserve the skins, the American Indians did. The Indians traded preserved skins for iron pots, metal hatchets, guns and gunpowder, blankets, knives, cloth, spirits and many other items they could not make.

This log cabin was built by Joseph Bailly, a Frenchman, in Southwest Indiana in the 1820’s. Pottawatomie Indians brought furs to Bailly’s store each spring to trade for merchandise. Bailly would pack the furs he bought into 60 lb. bundles and ship them (by boat) to Mackinac. At Mackinac, Bailly’s furs, along with furs from many other traders, were shipped (again by boat) to Montreal and on to Quebec. In Quebec, the furs were loaded onto large sailing ships and carried to Europe. In Europe, the hair was removed from the skin, processed into felt and fashioned into men’s and women’s hats.

By 1830 the fur trading business had ended. Over trapping had nearly driven the Beaver to extinction and the felt hat had become old fashioned.

The Habitant of New France

During the seventeenth century, French military officers, wealthy aristocracy and Catholic orders would request, and be granted, large parcels of New France land. Soldiers, men who had served as contract labor and others might, in turn, ask for a small section of this land to farm. Usually, this section of land was shaped like a long, narrow ribbon with the front edge bordering on a river. As there were almost no roads in the early days of New France, freight and people were moved by boat during the warmer months. In the winter, horse drawn sleighs used the rivers as frozen highways. The habitants (farmers) would clear the land closest to the river. Here, they would build their home and farm buildings.  Their fields of wheat and other grain crops were planted nearby. The back of the farm was forest that could be cut to build farm buildings, fences and boats. In addition, many cords of firewood were needed each year for cooking and heating their homes. The habitants would pay a few coins rent each year as well as a small share of their crops and a portion of their livestock to the owner of the land.The owner, in turn, was expected to pay for the construction of a wind mill. The wind mill was used to grind the habitants' wheat and rye into flour. A portion of the flour was paid to the miller for his services.This windmill dates back to the 1830s and is located on the island of Ile aux Coudres.

Modern 17th Century Quebec Home

Behold the modern 17th century log cabin kitchen. You will not find a microwave, stove, toaster or any other electric appliance here. These inventions are over 200 years in the future! Refrigeration and a freezer are only available in winter. However, a spring house is used to keep butter, cheese and other food products cool in summer. There is no inside running water, hot or cold. Lighting (other than that from the small window) is provided by the fireplace, candles, or a whale oil lamp. If it is a warm day, you might prop open the door for more light. . . but that might let in the flies and bugs and even a few bigger, hungry critters. The fireplace serves as stove and a furnace too in the winter months. In the summer, mother might cook outside so her log cabin home isn't overheated. What you eat depends on the season. This cabin was built close to the St Lawrence river. Much of the year, you could fish for your dinner. At certain times of the year, eels were so abundant they were called "Quebec Manna". For half of the year, the river was frozen. There was an abundance of wild game in the forest. You could hunt moose, bear, deer, rabbit or turkey. You might also raise farm animals like pigs, cattle, chickens and geese for food. Many Maple trees were tapped and the liquid boiled down to make syrup and sugar each spring. There were also farm crops like wheat, peas, cabbage and a number of herbs and vegetables. Wheat was ground into flour and made into large 5 lb loaves of bread which were baked in large outside ovens. Green peas were strung on threads and hung from the rafters to air dry. The French Canadians ate so much pea soup that they were nicknamed "Pea Soupers".

Indiana Trading Post

French fur traders ranged far and wide in pursuit of animal skins.

The French didn’t actually trap and prepare the skins. The American Indians did.

If a trading post was close by, the Native Americans might bring their preserved skins and trade for iron pots, metal hatchets, guns and gunpowder, cloth blankets, metal knives, and many other items they could not make themselves.

This log cabin was built by Joseph Bailly, a French trader who lived in Northwest Indiana in the 1820’s. Potawatomi Indians brought furs to Bailly’s store each spring to trade for merchandise.

Bailly would pack the furs he bought into 60 lb. bundles and ship them (by boat) to Mackinac. At Mackinac, Bailly’s furs, along with furs from many other traders, were shipped (again by boat) to Montreal and on to Quebec. In Quebec, the furs were loaded onto large sailing ships bound for France. In Europe, the hair was removed from the skin, processed into felt and fashioned into waterproof men’s and women’s hats.

By 1830 the fur trading business in Indiana had ended as over trapping had nearly depleted the Beaver and the felt hat had become passe.

In upper Michigan, on the Straits of Mackinaw, stood Fort Michillimackinac. This French-built, fortified trading post dates back to the late 1600s. At that time, this European settlement was on the edge of the known world. If this large log cabin (a reconstruction) is a true replica of the original, it disproves the notion that all was rough built and raw.

This cabin,the trading post, is built in the French style. Unlike the typical horizontal log wall construction used by the Americans, these logs are set upright and pegged top and bottom to a footer(bottom) and a header (top). The logs do not butt together. Instead, they are set apart. The space between the logs are filled with rocks and mud. The steep roof required many cedar shingles split with a mallet and a froe. The windows required multiple pieces of glass, shipped by canoe from Montreal or Quebec. . . In other buildings, the window openings might be filled with empty wine bottles or oiled paper. Within the cabin are twin chimneys. Each chimney could have had back-to-back hearths on each floor. Hence, this cabin might have eight heated rooms. The internal chimneys also warmed the stones they were built from, radiating heat. In all likelihood, this well-built structure was warm and comfortable in the cruel winter months.

French Style Log Cabin

At the top of Lake Michigan, on the shore of the Straits of Mackinac, is a reconstructed, fortified trading post from the New France era. In the 16th and 17th century, many Native Americans hunted and trapped the animals Europeans prized for their fur. When they had gathered enough furs, the Native Americans might travel to a French settlement. Here, they traded their furs for items they valued. A beaver fur might be traded for a quantity of glass beads, blankets, cloth, mirrors, ax heads, knives or an iron kettle. Most years, the French traders tightly packed the furs into bundles and transported them, by canoe, to Quebec. Ocean-going sailing ships carried the furs from Quebec to France. The furs might be used as a fur collar or a coat. . . but most beaver furs were processed into felt and transformed into fashionable, expensive hats. This French-Canadian log cabin differs from the American style built by Davy Crockett or Daniel Boone. Instead of a wall of horizontal logs, the French set the logs vertically, pegging the bottom end to a footer and the top end to a header. The gaps between the logs were filled with stones and mud. Using this method, the French could build a small, one-room log cabin or a much larger structure using a standard log length. Often, French cabins had very steep roofs. I'm told, this was to prevent a thick blanket of snow from accumulating and then slipping off the roof and blocking the door. Roof dormers were added to light the space used for storage and/or sleeping.

Early New France HIstory

Before the first explorers searched Canada with the hope of finding a water route to China. . . fishermen came for the Cod. The Grand Banks had an abundance of fish that was caught, cleaned, salted, sun dried or smoked and sold in France, Portugal, Spain and other European countries. This was the first major export of New France.

On his first voyages, Champlain, like past explorers, searched for a water passage to China.  Later, Champlain brought men to the islands around the mouth of the St Lawrence and later still to Quebec to experiment in settlement. He respected the Native Americans and befriend many tribes over time. Champlain was responsible for building a network of French outposts and developed a trading monopoly in which French manufactured goods were traded for furs. At one time, French forts dotted the Great Lakes at Detroit, Duluth, Niagara and Mackinaw while the English and Dutch where bottled up by the Appalachian mountains. French men traveled as far west as the Rockies, through the Great Lakes, exploring the St Lawrence, Ottawa, Mississippi and other river systems. These were the Frenchmen's highways. Brigades of hardy voyageurs paddled large birch-bark canoes, sometimes seventy miles or more per day, delivering trade goods to outposts and returning with tons of wild animal furs to Montreal and on to France. The gross national product of New France depended on these fur shipments. In France, the furs were processed into felt and made into stylish, expensive hats for ladies and gentlemen.