DCHP-2

voyageur canoe Voyageur canoe DCHP-2 (November 2016)

• n. — historical, Fur trade

  a large birchbark canoe, traditionally used by voyageurs, coureurs de bois in the fur trade; canot du nord; northern canoe.

  Type: 1. Origin — Voyageur canoe is synonymous with canot du nord or northern canoe, having the same dimensions (20-25 feet) and having the same capacity for freight (1.5 tons). There is evidence (see the 1848 quotation) that the name voyageur canoe derives from the phrase "voyageur's canoe", i.e. a canoe belonging to a voyageur. Voyageur, which is a French borrowing translated literally as 'voyager' or 'traveler', came to be used in both French and English to denote a man working in the fur trade. Today, the terms are generally used in reference to Canada's historical beginnings. Voyageur canoe is most prevalent in Canada, but as fur trade routes often included parts of the present-day United States, the term has become part of the American historical lexicon as well (see Chart 1), especially in the Midwest and Northeast.
  See also COD-2, s.v. "voyageur canoe", which is marked "Cdn".

  See also: canot du nord  coureur de bois  northern canoe  voyageur (def. 1a)