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.



More

;