Two traders nearly starve in the northwoods during the winter of 1659-60.

Fourth Voyage of Pierre Esprit Radisson (1659-1660)


Radisson and his brother-in-law, the Sieur de Groseilliers, were the first French explorers to visit Wisconsin after Nicolet (in 1654-56), and the two returned for the trip described here in 1659-60. As unlicensed traders, they were punished when they returned to Montreal, which embittered them so much that they sold their knowledge and services to the English and helped found the Hudson Bay Company. The account given here is a contemporary English version of their adventures building the first outpost in the Chequamegon Region, near modern Ashland, and of wintering among the exiled Ottawas on the headwaters of the Chippewa River.

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Related Topics: Early Native Peoples
Explorers, Traders, and Settlers
Arrival of the First Europeans
Creator: Radisson, Pierre Esprit, ca. 1636-1710.
Pub Data: Voyages of Peter Esprit Radisson, being an account of his travels and experiences among the North American Indians, from 1652 to 1684 ...by Gideon D. Scull. (Boston : Prince Society, 1885)[excerpt: pp. 173-247.]
Citation: Radisson, Pierre Espirit. "Fourth Voyage" in Voyages of Peter Esprit Radisson, being an account of his travels and experiences among the North American Indians, from 1652 to 1684 ... edited by Gideon D. Scull. (Boston: Prince Society, 1885); Online facsimile at:  http://wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/search.asp?id=12; Visited on: 4/16/2024