My First Years in the Fur Trade: The Journals of George Nelson, 1802-1804

Gratien Allaire is a professor of history at Laurentian University in
Sudbury, Ontario.

George Nelson’s early years in the fur trade coincided with the
beginnings of the XY company, which was founded by Alexander Mackenzie
in opposition to the North West Company. Nelson wintered in a large
region between Lake Superior and the Mississippi River. The scarcity of
resources in the boreal forest, the harshness of the season, and the
hostility of the Sioux tribes of the upper Mississippi made wintering
life a challenge. Survival was a constant concern.

As a clerk, Nelson was assigned responsibilities over voyageurs and a
trade area. He complains in his journals about not receiving much
training and how he had to learn the intricacies of the trade on his
own. He also had difficulties in his relations with the more experienced
men he supervised. But Nelson adapted to life in Indian country, and
soon married the daughter of an important chief, even though he knew
Mackenzie would object. One of the main interests of this publication is
his observations of Native life.

Nelson’s journals are not the usual daily accounts, but rather, the
editors note, a “composite of manuscript originals, notes or letters,
and memory reconstruction.” Their well-researched, scholarly edition
of these very interesting documents includes an informative
introduction.