La Verendrye Pierre Gaultier De Varennes Sieur De 1685-1749 Son
of Rene Gaultier, Sieur de Varennes, governor of Three Rivers. Served in
the New England campaign of 1704, and the following year in
Newfoundland. In 1707 with the army in Flanders, and wounded at
Malplaquet in 1709. Returning to Canada, engaged in the fur trade, for
some years on the St. Maurice, and 1727-1728 on Lake Nipigon. There
conceived the idea of exploring the unknown country beyond Lake
Superior, to discover
he Western Sea, a project to which he devoted the
remainder of his life. Left Montreal for the West in 1731; built forts
on Rainy Lake and Lake of the Woods, and in the succeeding years
penetrated to Lake Winnipeg, Red River, and the Assiniboine. In 1738
made a journey to the Mandan villages on the Missouri; and the following
year one of his sons penetrated to the Saskatchewan. In 1742, unable to
go himself, sent two of his sons far to the south-west. They hoped, as
he had always hoped, to reach at last the Western Sea, but were baffled
by hostile tribes and the barrier of the Rocky Mountains. In 1743
returned finally to Montreal, broken in health and heavily in debt. Six
years later died there. His sons begged to be allowed to continue his
western explorations, but hostile influences made this impossible. (Wolfe / Montcalm era)
Discoverer of the Rocky Mountains, 19. (Bishop Laval era) Carries explorations as far
as the Rocky Mountains, 11. (Mackenzie / Selkirk / Simpson era) Leads the way inland from Lake
Superior, 3; his search for Western Sea, 40; his reply to charge of
making money in fur trade, 281. =Bib.=: Prud'homme, Pierre Gaultier de
Varennes, Sieur de La Verendrye (R. S. C., 1905); Laut, Pathfinders of
the West; Parkman, Half Century of Conflict; Bryce, Hudson's Bay
Company; Burpee, Search for the Western Sea. See also his journals
in Canadian Archives Report, 1889; Richard's Summary (Can. Arch.,
1904); and Margry, Decouvertes et Etablissements des Francais. His
Journals are now being edited for the Champlain Society, Toronto.