Joseph La France, ( – c. 1745), was a

Métis The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. They have a shared history and culture which derives ...

fur trader in Canada, and an explorer of the inland route from

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Hudson Bay Hudson Bay ( crj, text=ᐐᓂᐯᒄ, translit=Wînipekw; crl, text=ᐐᓂᐹᒄ, translit=Wînipâkw; iu, text=ᑲᖏᖅᓱᐊᓗᒃ ᐃᓗᐊ, translit=Kangiqsualuk ilua or iu, text=ᑕᓯᐅᔭᕐᔪᐊᖅ, translit=Tasiujarjuaq; french: b ...

Background

La France was born at Michilimackinac, the son of a French fur-trader and an

Ojibwa The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...

woman, in the area where Fort Michilimackinac was founded when he was a child. He became a trader early in his life working with his father and had a varied and extensive training. In 1739, having been refused a license to trade on the grounds that he had been selling brandy to the Indians, he decided to align himself with the English traders at

. He began his trek toward there following the route of

Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de La Vérendrye Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

through Rainy Lake,

Lake of the Woods Lake of the Woods (french: Lac des Bois, oj, Pikwedina Sagainan) is a lake occupying parts of the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba and the U.S. state of Minnesota. Lake of the Woods is over long and wide, containing more than 14,55 ...

and the Winnipeg River to

Lake Winnipeg Lake Winnipeg (french: Lac Winnipeg, oj, ᐑᓂᐸᑲᒥᐠᓴᑯ˙ᑯᐣ, italics=no, Weenipagamiksaguygun) is a very large, relatively shallow lake in North America, in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Manitoba, Canada. I ...

. He must have made contact with some the La Vérendrye forts although no written record can confirm this assumption. He partnered with several Ojibwe and Cree trappers and traders, offering to get them higher prices for their furs from the British. La France wintered in 1740–41 with natives of the Lake Winnipeg region. In 1741–42 he wintered further west and north in the region of

Lake Manitoba Lake Manitoba (french: Lac Manitoba) is the List of lakes of Canada, 14th largest lake in Canada and the List of lakes by area, 33rd largest lake in the world with a total area of . It is located within the Provinces and territories of Canada, Cana ...

and Lake Winnipegosis and the lower Saskatchewan River. He reached

York Factory York Factory was a settlement and Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) factory (trading post) located on the southwestern shore of Hudson Bay in northeastern Manitoba, Canada, at the mouth of the Hayes River, approximately south-southeast of Churchill. Yo ...

on Hudson Bay via the

Hayes River The Hayes River is a river in Northern Manitoba, Canada, that flows from Molson Lake to Hudson Bay at York Factory. It was historically an important river in the development of Canada and is now a Canadian Heritage River and the longest naturall ...

in June 1742. He was traveling with a large band of Indians and several canoes full of furs for trade. The successful mission opened the British fur trade with the subarctic.

London

Because the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business div ...

could not shelter French or Canadien traders, La France was sent to England later in 1742. In London he met Arthur Dobbs who was crusading against the HBC monopoly of the fur trade and their apparent reluctance to open up the northwest with interior forts. La France supplied crude maps as well as much information concerning the geography and demographics of the region. He recommended that the HBC meet growing French competition in the west as it was rapidly developing through the efforts of the La Vérendryes.

Legacy

The La France trip is considered today as an important step in the exploration of the northwest. At the time it was discounted because Dobbs' evidence was considered suspect.

References

1707 births 1745 deaths Canadian explorers Canadian fur traders {{NewFrance-stub