Sycamore Trading Company

Transcription

1 Sycamore Trading Company Boone County Conservation District 603 N. Appleton Road Belvidere, IL (815)

2 Thank you for scheduling a Fur Trade program! This packet has been developed to provide pre or post activities in conjunction with your visit. Below are some notes and suggestions on selected pages in the packet. We hope you will find it useful. If you have any questions, suggestions or related activities that you would like to share, please call us at (815) Twice as Big The Americans were late comers to the fur trade. The French in Canada dominated the industry until the British took the land. The British expanded and regimented the industry and began utilizing the Native Americans in the business. It was not until after the Louisiana Purchase that the U.S. became a viable competitor, and this was at the end of the fur trade boom. An American Start Have the students break up into groups and use various resources to find the answers and compare their findings. The answers we believe to be true are as follows: purchased from France for $15 million (3 cents/acre); left on May 14, 1804; one person from the expedition died, reports say either a burst appendix or dysentery; York was the name of Clark s slave, many Native Americans had never seen a black man before and he helped instill a sense of awe and respect; Sacajawea was the women who traveled with Lewis and Clark, originally it was her husband who was employed, however it was soon discovered that she was more adept as a guide; the Pacific Ocean was first seen on November 7, 1805; Lewis was accidentally shot in the leg while hunting, some historians say it was Clark who did the shooting; they returned to St. Louis on September 23, 1806; though they had only been gone two years, four months and ten days most people had given them up for dead. Voyageurs are Fur Traders the term voyageurs was first used by the French and now applies to people of all cultures who were involved in the fur trade. Translations for the French terms are as follows: le tuque (hat), la chemise (shirt), sac-a-feu (beaded pouch), azion (Breech cloth), la ceinture llachee (colorful sash), la mltasse (leggings), and le moccasin (moccasin). Take a Hike These moccasins can be made out of heavy material like denim. Have the students bring in old jeans and then cut cardboard to place in the bottom. By Way of the River The rivers were the highways from before Europeans settled here until the arrival of planes, trains and automobiles. The way to get from Boone County to the Gulf of Mexico was to take the Kishwaukee River to the Rock River and then to the Mississippi River which empties into the Gulf. Can You Canoe? Have the class design one logo to represent the entire group. This would be put on the stern (back) of the canoe. The bow (front) would be marked with a design unique to the vessel. Need those Knee Patches Answers: gegs = eggs, upcs lfuor = cups flour, atwre = water, pucs gasru = cups sugar soopnact mnoncina = teaspoon cinnamon.

3 Twice as Big In 1803, Thomas Jefferson purchased Louisiana from France. The additional land doubled the size of the United States and opened the West for exploration and fur trade. After the Louisiana Purchase, the American fur traders were finally able to compete with the British. Future Site of Boone County British Possessions The Oregon Country Spanish Possessions Louisiana Purchase Mississippi River Mass. District of Maine Mississippi River Miss. Territory W. Florida E. Florida Color the map using these colors: red for British, orange for Oregon, yellow for Spanish, green for the Louisiana Purchase, purple for the Floridas (controlled by Spain), and blue for the United States. The areas not labeled are the same as today check a U.S. map and write in the names of the states.

4 An American Start Fur trading began with the Native Americans. They first traded with each other, and when the first Europeans arrived they traded with them. France and Britain were the leaders in the fur trade until the early 1800s. Thomas Jefferson completed the Louisiana Purchase and sent a group of men to explore the newest part of America. The expedition was led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. To learn more about Lewis and Clark fill in the blanks below by doing some investigating of your own. Who sold the U.S.A. the Louisiana territory and how much did it cost? On what date did Lewis and Clark leave? How many people died during the expedition? What was the name of Clark s slave? Who was the woman that traveled with Lewis and Clark from the Mandan village? When did Lewis and Clark reach the Pacific Ocean? Who was shot in the leg, Lewis or Clark? When did Lewis and Clark return? What did most people think had happened to them?

5 Voyageurs are Fur Traders The word voyageur means traveler in French. The French who lived in Canada are some of the first people to venture into the wilderness of North America. Voyageurs went in search of adventure and most importantly, fur. A voyageur s life was hard. He spent all day paddling a canoe or carry goods on a portage. At night he must repair any damage to the canoe and dry his clothes. However, there was usually time for a game of cards or checkers. Most voyageurs dressed in the same type of clothing. This voyageur s clothes are labeled with French terms. See if you can substitute the English words.

6 Take a Hike Many fur traders started out with leather boots and then changed to moccasins. They were easy to make and could be made out of almost any kinds of hiked. Follow the directions below to make your own pair of Ojibwa style moccasins and then take a walk in them. 1. Cut fabric or hide into two 10 by 11 inch pieces. 2. Place your foot in the center of one of the pieces and trace. Put your heel about a halfinch from the edge, see B in Picture 1. (Repeat this with your other foot.) 3. Draw an arch around your foot. On the drawing this is A to C to D them back to C and A on the other side. 5. Fold the moccasin in half so that C meets C and A meets A. 6. Sew from D to C and then B to A. 7. The rectangles should be folded down and the finished product should look like Picture Decorate the moccasins with beads, natural objects or markers. 4. Draw rectangles on each side. On the drawing this is A to C to E to F and then back to A.

7 By Way of the River Fur traders did most of their traveling by canoe or foot. A voyageur canoe could be up to 40 feet long and could hold fourteen men and trade goods. Traders rowed for up to sixteen hours a day, with one ten minute break every hour. By taking a canoe, a person could travel from Boone County to the Gulf of Mexico using only three rivers. Name the three rivers in the order they would have to be traveled

8 Can you canoe? Canoes were often made by Native Americans in factories run by fur companies. Canoes were made in large quantities from the early 1600s to today. The way they were designed and used has changed a lot. The fur company that made the boat would generally mark the stern with its logo, and the bow may have been painted by the bowman, or leader of the crew. Design a class company logo and draw it on the stern, then draw your own symbol on the bow. The bow is the of the canoe. Bow The stern is the of the canoe. Stern

9 Keeping the Beat If you wanted to be a voyageur, you had to sing. Fur traders sang to pass the time and keep their canoe strokes together. Many traders made up their own songs. Using a song you already know, rewrite the words to make it a fur trader s song.

10 Showing the Way Fur traders were often the first visitors to Native American groups. Many times the traders drew the first maps of areas in North America. They used streams and natural landmarks to remember the way. Draw a map showing the way from your house to school. Include all waterways and at least four major landmarks.

11 Company Logo Each fur trading company had its own flag design. These designs, or logos, marked territory and distinguished the traders by the company they worked for. Below are two examples of these flags. Design a flag to identify your own trading company. American Fur Company Flag Hudson s Bay Company Flag

12 What do you know about the buffalo? Learn more about the buffalo by solving the problems below. 42 / 3 = A buffalo has pairs of ribs. Humans only have twelve. 560 / 70 = Full-grown bulls (males) are seven feet to feet tall at the hump. 250 x 8 = Bulls weigh between 1,600 pounds and pounds. 700 / 70 = A full grown bull is feet to 12 ½ feet long from the tip of its nose to the end of its tail. 5 x 7 = The distance between a buffalo s horns is almost inches at its widest point. 15 x 60 = Cows (females) are much smaller than bulls. They seldom weigh more than pounds. 360 / 60 = A buffalo at its shoulders (not at the hump) is between 5 ½ feet and feet. 11 x 50 = In 1850, 20 million buffalo lived in North America. By 1899, only were left. Challenge: If 19,999,450 buffaloes died in a 50 year period, how many died on average each year?

13 That s my Habitat All the animals below were trapped by fur traders. Sometimes the voyageurs would eat the meat and other times they would just skin the animal and leave the rest. Wild Bill Hickok is reported to have killed 1,200 buffalo in one month. Name each animal below and its habitat. Also, circle the animals that have never lived in Boone County. Name Habitat Name Habitat Name Habitat Name Habitat Name Habitat Name Habitat

14 The Real Reason Although fur trappers would take almost any type of fur, what they really wanted was beaver. Americans on the East coast and Europeans wanted top hats made from beaver pelts. This fashion trend nearly caused the extinction of the beaver, and by 1850 few beavers could be seen along the rivers. Can you name any popular items or practices that may harm the environment? List them below and then find some possible solutions. Things that may harm the environment EXAMPLE: Motor oil dumped into storm drains Who gets hurt EXAMPLE: Everyone who needs water Solutions EXAMPLE: Find out how and where to dispose of oil, make a flyer to let people know

15 Stew for Me! Below is the recipe for voyageur stew. The top recipe makes enough for 35 people. In order to make just enough for your family with a little left over, you need to divide the amounts by four. Voyageur Stew for potatoes 4 cups brown rice (uncooked) 10 large carrots 3 cups navy beans (presoaked) 4 large onions 2 pounds of meat (usually ham or bacon) Voyageur Stew for 7 Divide the amounts above by 4 potatoes large carrots large onions cups brown rice (uncooked) cups navy beans (presoaked) pounds of meat Directions Pour ½ gallon of water into a large pot, heat on a medium heat. Rinse the vegetables and cut them into bite size pieces. Add the vegetables to the water. Add the rice, beans, and if you are lucky enough to have any, the meat. Stir every once in a while and add more water if needed. The stew is done when the rice cracks and the beans are cooked through.

16 Need those Knee Patches You will have to unscramble the words in the recipe in order to see what ingredients are needed. Knee patches are like small elephant ears and can be served sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar or topped with fruit. This dessert is called a knee patch because when the dough was being formed the baker would press it against his or her knee. Voyageur Knee Patches Ingredients 3 gegs 2 ½ upcs lfuro atwre 2 spcu gasru 1 soopnaet mnoncina Directions Mix lfuor and gegs together. Add atwre until the mixture feels sticky, like bread dough. Cover your hands with lfuor, then flatten and shape the dough to the size and shape of a silver dollar. Fry in melted shortening, the coat with a mixture of gasru and mnoncina.

17 Word Search Buffalo Kishwaukee Woods William Purchase Beans Rock Sycamore York Prairie Flour Mississippi Moccasins Voyageur Meriwether Louisiana Wetland Canoe Fur trader Tuque D L L H J S G J F B A Q J C S B R U E S P M O C C A S I N S E O K Y C Y O R K A L E L I J D U T M I S S I S S I P P I Z Y R T B U F F A L O F N T I U M T T S R V I C S N U K L B M G A J B E B F L H P K W R M L R W P W S W O O D S E R O A Y V E F C E T B B L A U I O D S E T O A Y O T E Y S R I O D O C V S F F C O H U B C H F C S A M N W C F C Z A F C F C K O B E R J A D H T P U R C H A S E V S E W B R O J A E W H D T J L M T G W E Q E I W U C E H R E P M T S Y C A M O R E W L T B K F E T T F V P T P A C N S C O J L Y H T V F A L E O C A F N T M B C M W I C W B T H O A F Y T C L O U I S I A N A I B E A N S N T A S C O E T F H P T T M F T T B C C D G G L A U D T O U A I S O T T C D B W P M E W L R Y P F O U R T H A K L T F D T T U O H A C A O T B M F A E F O T P R A I R I E W S S D O V T H C M W S P T F B B C H L W T G P A I P F T S U W T V W T K O A V T E T U Q U E C B A B T C A T R O T V I M I L M B W R F T