French Pathfinders in North America

French Pathfinders in North
America, by

William Henry Johnson This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere
at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it,
give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg
License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
Title: French Pathfinders in North America
Author: William Henry Johnson
Release Date: May 20, 2007 [EBook #21543]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FRENCH
PATHFINDERS ***

Produced by Al Haines

[Frontispiece: Jacques Cartier]

French Pathfinders

in
North America
By
William Henry Johnson

Author of "The World's Discoverers," "Pioneer Spaniards in North
America," etc.

With Seven Full-Page Plates

Boston
Little, Brown, and Company
1912

Copyright, 1905,
BY LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY.
All rights reserved

{v}
FOREWORD
The compiler of the following sketches does not make any claim to
originality. He has dealt with material that has been used often and
again. Still there has seemed to him to be a place for a book which

should outline the story of the great French explorers in such simple,
direct fashion as might attract young readers. Trying to meet this need,
he has sought to add to the usefulness of the volume by introductory
chapters, simple in language, but drawn from the best authorities and
carefully considered, giving a view of Indian society; also, by inserting
numerous notes on Indian tribal connections, customs, and the like
subjects.
By selecting a portion of Radisson's journal for publication he does not
by any means range himself on the side of the scholarly and gifted
writer who has come forward as the champion of that picturesque
scoundrel, and seriously proposes {vi} him as the real hero of the
Northwest, to whom, we are told, is due the honor which we have
mistakenly lavished on such commonplace persons as Champlain,
Joliet, Marquette, and La Salle.
While the present writer is not qualified to express a critical opinion as
to the merits of the controversy about Radisson, a careful reading of his
journal has given him an impression that the greatest part is so vague,
so wanting in verifiable details, as to be worthless for historical
purposes. One portion, however, seems unquestionably valuable,
besides being exceedingly interesting. It is that which recounts his
experiences on Lake Superior. It bears the plainest marks of truth and
authenticity, and it is accepted as historical by the eminent critic, Dr.
Reuben G. Thwaites. Therefore it is reproduced here, in abridged form;
and on the strength of it Radisson is assigned a place among the
Pathfinders.

CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. THE ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE INDIAN RACE . . .
3 II. SOMETHING ABOUT INDIAN SOCIAL LIFE . . . . . . . . . 15 III.
THE IROQUOIS LEAGUE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 IV.
ACHIEVEMENTS OF FRENCHMEN IN THE NORTH OF

AMERICA . . 45 V. JACQUES CARTIER, THE DISCOVERER OF
CANADA . . . . . . 53 VI. JEAN RIBAUT: THE FRENCH AT PORT
ROYAL, IN SOUTH CAROLINA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 VII.
RENÉ DE LAUDONNIÈRE: PLANTING A COLONY ON THE ST.
JOHN'S RIVER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 VIII. SAMUEL DE
CHAMPLAIN IN NOVA SCOTIA . . . . . . . . . 101 IX. SAMUEL DE
CHAMPLAIN (continued): THE FRENCH ON THE ST.
LAWRENCE AND THE GREAT LAKES . . . . . . . 119 X. JESUIT
MISSIONARY PIONEERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147 XI. JEAN
NICOLLET, LOUIS JOLIET, AND FATHER JACQUES
MARQUETTE; THE DISCOVERERS OF THE MISSISSIPPI . . . .
169 XII. PIERRE ESPRIT RADISSON AND MÉDARD CHOUART
EXPLORE LAKE SUPERIOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187 XIII. ROBERT
CAVELIER, SIEUR DE LA SALLE, THE FIRST EXPLORER OF
THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI . . . . . . . . . . 225 XIV. LA SALLE AND
THE FOUNDING OF LOUISIANA . . . . . . . 26l [SUPPLEMENT:
THE EXECUTION OF HIS PLAN BY BIENVILLE] 278 XV.
FATHER LOUIS HENNEPIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289 XVI. THE
VÉRENDRYES DISCOVER THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS . . . . . 313
BOOKS FOR REFERENCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
INDEX . . . . . . . . . .