My intense interest in studying the exploration of Canada and the United States, particularly that of the northern regions, has led inevitably to an interest in the fur trade. During the summer of 2011, I am planning visits to a number of the key fur trade locations in the western US and Canada. Among these may be Pine City, MN, Grand Portage, Fort Frances, Fort St. Charles, Norway House, the Pas, Cumberland House, the Forks of the Saskatchewan, Fort Carlton, Fort George, Rocky Mountain House, Lower Fort Garry, Fort Esperance, Fort Dunvegan, Fort St. John, McLeod Lake, Fort St. James, Fort Chouteau, Fort Union, Fort Benton, and Pinedale's Museum of the Mountain Man. You can read about these sites in Barbara Huck's fine book Exploring the Fur Trade Routes of North America, or you can Google them.
I will leave the fur trade sites in Washington and Oregon, as well as the fur trade-related explorations of Lewis and Clark, the Santa Fe trail, and the Oregon Trail for another time.
Because of the nature of the fur trade locations, I will, in many cases, be outside the normal range of contact for my portable computer, but will make an effort to provide updates as regularly as possible soon after my visits.
Ken Karch
