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Join us for this first-time-ever historical pageant on the waterfront during Longlac’s Annual Summerfest.
The program includes the following:
*Arrival of the Brigade [a small
fleet of “North” canoes manned by voyageurs - click the images for views]
*Demonstrations of Traditional Music, Dance, & Sports [e.g., bagpipes, square dances, mini pow wow, wrestling]
*Blessing of the Voyageurs [performed by local clergy and aboriginal elders]
*Departure of the Brigade [loaded with fur bales]|
Some History
The North West Co. established a trading post on Long Lake in 1800 near the present town of Longlac. Soon after, the Hudson’s Bay Co. founded a
rival post nearby. Once a year, all the furs gathered in the previous year were shipped by a brigade of North canoes to Fort William. Old Fort William in Thunder Bay is a reconstruction of that
post. The meeting of fur brigades at Fort William from the entire North West was known as the “Rendezvous”.
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