3 Carolyn Podruchny, Making the Voyageur World (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2006).
4 Colin G. Galloway, New Worlds for All: Indians, Europeans, and the Remaking of Early America (Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997).
5 Shelley J. Pearen, Exploring Manitoulin, 3rd ed. (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1992).
6 Sigurd Olson, The Singing Wilderness (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1981).
7 Ibid.
CHAPTER SEVEN: TRAPPED AT DEATH’S DOOR
1 Toby Lester, The Fourth Part of the World: An Astonishing Epic of Global Discovery, Imperial Ambition, and the Birth of America (New York: Free Press, 2009).
2 Conan Bryant Eaton, Death’s Door: The Pursuit of a Legend (Jackson Harbor Press, 1996).
3 Mark Thompson, Graveyard of the Lakes (Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2000).
4 Michael Schumacher, November’s Fury: The Deadly Great Lakes Hurricane of 1913 (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2013).
5 Laurence Gonzales, Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why (New York:
W. W. Norton and Co., 2003).
CHAPTER EIGHT: “THE BEGINNING OF OUR HARDSHIPS”
1 Paul LeJeune, Jesuit Relations, vol. 5 (1632).
2 Gabriel Marest, “Letter from Gabriel Marest to Father de Lamberville,” Jesuit Relations, vol. 66 (1702).
3 William Bennet Munro, Crusaders of New France, vol. 4, The Chronicles of America, ed. Allen Johnson (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1920).
4 Anka Muhlstein, La Salle: Explorer of the North American Frontier (New York: Arcade Publishing, 2013).
5 Ibid.
6 Ibid.
7 See http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/mwr/100/mwr-100-03-0235.pdf
8 Donald S. Johnson, La Salle: A Perilous Odyssey from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico (New York: Cooper Square Press, 2002).
9 Jeff Manes, “Clearing the Air Would Be a Start,” Chicago Tribune, Nov. 18, 2014. http://posttrib.chicagotribune.com/news/manes/30991557-452/manes-clearing-the-air-would-be-a-start.html#.VMaZgC7F94F
10 Ralph Lutz, “La Salle Voyageurs Arrive in Berrien,” The News-Palladium (Michigan), Dec. 20, 1976.
11 A. James Wagner, “The Severe Winter of 1976–77: Precursors and Precedents,” http://www.nwas.org/digest/papers/1977/Vol02No4/1977v002no04-Wagner.pdf
CHAPTER NINE: THE MOST DANGEROUS PRODUCT THE INTELLECT HAS CONCOCTED
1 Père du Poisson, Jesuit Relations, vol. 67.
2 Anka Muhlstein, La Salle: Explorer of the North American Frontier (New York: Arcade Publishing, 2013).
3 Carolyn Podruchny, Making the Voyageur World (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2006).
4 “La Salle Voyageurs Hit by Truck in Indiana,” Chicago Tribune, Jan. 13, 1977.
5 Paul Valéry, Selected Writings of Paul Valéry (New York: New Directions Publishing, 1950).
CHAPTER TEN: PARALLEL VOYAGES
1 William C. Foster, ed., The La Salle Expedition on the Mississippi River: A Lost Manuscript of Nicholas de la Salle, 1682 (Austin: Texas State Historical Association, 2003).
2 Ibid.
3 Ibid.
4 Pierre Margry, Découvertes et établissements des Français dans l’Ouest et dans le Sud de l’Amérique Septentrionale, 1614–1754, vol. 2 (Paris: D. Jouaust), p. 173.
5 “The Bicentennial Blues,” Ebony, June 1, 1976.
6 John McPhee, “Atchafalaya,” The Control of Nature (New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1989).
7 Freeman Tilden, Interpreting Our Heritage (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1957).
CHAPTER ELEVEN: THE GREEN BUOY
1 Henri de Tonty, “La Salle’s Voyage Down the Mississippi,” Collections of the Illinois State Historical Library, vol. 1., ed. H. W. Beckwith (Springfield, Ill.: H. W. Rokker Co., 1903).
2 William C. Foster, The La Salle Expedition on the Mississippi River: A Lost Manuscript of Nicholas de la Salle, 1682 (Austin: Texas State Historical Association, 2003).
3 Henri de Tonty, “La Salle’s Voyage Down the Mississippi,” Collections of the Illinois State Historical Library, vol. 1, ed. H. W. Beckwith (Springfield, Ill.: H. W. Rokker Co., 1903).
4 Robert S. Weddle, “La Salle’s Survivors,” The Southwestern Historical Quarterly 75, no. 4 (April 1972).
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First and foremost, thanks to all the members and supporting crew of La Salle: Expedition II for sharing your stories with me. This book wouldn’t have been possible if you’d been reluctant to reminisce, to answer phone calls and e-mails, or to share old letters and journals. Thanks for inviting me into your lives and helping me connect all the dots to turn your experiences into a story.
Thanks to Jennifer Carlson, who worked tirelessly to find a home for this book, and Maia Larson who made the book better. Thanks to everyone at Pegasus for making all of it come together. Thanks to James Tobin for getting me started when the story was just an idea, to Dale Maharidge and Sam Freedman for making me a better writer and reporter, and to all the other mentors who had a hand in teaching me to tell good stories.
And of course, thanks to all my friends and family who provided support and encouragement when I needed it most, especially Kevin. I wouldn’t have made it this far without you.
ILLUSTRATIONS
One of the crew’s canoes in a display at the Chicago Canoe Marathon in 1976, shortly before the expedition. No glue or modern power tools were used in their construction, and each canoe took hundreds of hours to complete. By the photographers of the La Salle: Expedition II.
Randy Foster cooking for his module on August 7, 1976. The crew camped out in Quebec for several days before setting off on their voyage. By the photographers of the La Salle: Expedition II.
Marc Lieberman as Henri de Tonty signs a document next to Reid Lewis (La Salle) on the day of their departure, August 11, 1976. The crew departed from a suburb of Montreal called LaSalle. By the photographers of the La Salle: Expedition II.
Paddling into Beauharnois Lock while the rain pours down on August 13, 1976, near Valleyfield, Ontario. When it rained the men wore canvas ponchos that were more water-absorbent than water-resistant. By the photographers of the La Salle: Expedition II.
All six canoes together at the bottom of the Eisenhower Lock, accompanied by a tugboat on August 20, 1976. A large crowd gathered at the observation deck to watch the canoes go through the lock. By the photographers of the La Salle: Expedition II.
George LeSieutre as the notary Jacques de la Metairie measures the declination of the sun in Alexandria Bay on August 22, 1976. LeSieutre used 17th-century tools to make a detailed map of the expedition. By the photographers of the La Salle: Expedition II.
Paddling past a limestone spire on Lake Ontario, August 26, 1976. The canoe at the front contains Rich Gross, Bob Kulick, Reid Lewis, and John DiFulvio. By the photographers of the La Salle: Expedition II.
The group at a soggy campsite on Prince Edward Point, Lake Ontario, with Chuck Campbell starting a fire and Terry Cox watching, August 28, 1976. By the photographers of the La Salle: Expedition II.
The group at Sand Banks Provincial Park, triumphant after surviving high waves on Lake Ontario on August 30, 1976. By the photographers of the La Salle: Expedition II.
Doug Sohn, Rich Gross, Sam Hess, and John Fialko give a musket salute on the deck of the HMCS Haida outside Toronto on September 8, 1976, while Reid Lewis as La Salle and Clif Wilson as Sieur D’Autray look on. The black powder muskets were made by hand and were used to fire blanks for performances. By the photographers of the La Salle: Expedition II.
The beginning of the Toronto Portage on Riverside Drive, September 10, 1976. The men walked more than 100 miles, doubling back multiple times to carry all their gear through the city. By the photographers of the La Salle: Expedition II.
Carrying a canoe across a street in Toronto during the portage, which lasted from September 10 to September 21. The crew were often followed by kids and curious strangers. By
the photographers of the La Salle: Expedition II.
The whole crew in a field off Weston Road near the end of the Toronto Portage, September 19, 1976. In the back row, left to right: Ken Lewis, Steve Marr, Marc Lieberman, Father Loran Fuchs, Sid Bardwell, Bill Watts, and Bob Kulick. In the second row: Rich Gross, Richard Stillwagon, Sam Hess, Mark Fredenburg, Keith Gorse, John Fialko, and Reid Lewis. In the front row: Jorge Garcia, Ron Hobart, Terry Cox, George LeSieutre, John DiFulvio, Chuck Campbell, Randy Foster, Gary Braun, Doug Sohn, and Clif Wilson. By the photographers of the La Salle: Expedition II.
Father Loran Fuchs says mass to the crew in a field of flowers off Weston Road, September 19, 1976. The priest traveled with communion wafers and wine to perform mass every Sunday. By the photographers of the La Salle: Expedition II.
The liaison team. In the front row: Cathy Palmer, Sharon Baumgartner, and Barton Dean (the photographer). In the back row: Jan Lewis, Sid Bardwell (who eventually became a full-time member of the paddling crew), and Marlena Scavuzzo. By the photographers of the La Salle: Expedition II.
Ron Hobart next to his canoe looking out at Lake Michigan near Brevoort Lake on October 23, 1976. Upon entering Lake Michigan the group headed south for the first time after paddling hundreds of miles west. By the photographers of the La Salle: Expedition II.
Paddling past a factory near Highland Park, Illinois, on November 30, 1976. In the canoe are Mark Fredenburg, Ken Lewis, Sam Hess, and George LeSieutre. By the photographers of the La Salle: Expedition II.
Reid Lewis dressed in his full La Salle outfit at the Academy of Science in Chicago on December 9, 1976. By the photographers of the La Salle: Expedition II.
A group of men carry their gear on tumplines through the U.S. Steel facility in Gary, Indiana, on December 19, 1976. By the photographers of the La Salle: Expedition II.
Gary Braun looks out at the ice and waves on Lake Michigan from Marquette Park, Indiana, on December 19, 1976. By the photographers of the La Salle: Expedition II.
Bob Kulick, Keith Gorse, and Clif Wilson walk down a snowy road near the Indiana Dunes on December 20, 1976. By the photographers of the La Salle: Expedition II.
Mark Fredenburg tugs a canoe forward using a technique called “lining” on the banks of the Kankakee River. Below on the frozen river George LeSieutre and Ken Lewis push the boat. January 1, 1977. By the photographers of the La Salle: Expedition II.
Trying to paddle down the half-frozen Kankakee River on January 5, 1977. At the front of the boat Doug Sohn uses an axe to chop through the ice while three men paddle through heavy snow behind him. By the photographers of the La Salle: Expedition II.
Terry Cox takes a break and tries to get warm on the Kankakee River near Shelby, Indiana, on January 11, 1977. By the photographers of the La Salle: Expedition II.
Men walk down the frozen Illinois River near Grafton, Illinois, on February 7, 1977. By the photographers of the La Salle: Expedition II.
Camped out just past New Madrid on February 21, 1977, on the Mississippi River. The men constructed their shelters using a canoe turned on its side, a canvas tarp stretched over the top, and three paddles to hold up the tarp. By the photographers of the La Salle: Expedition II.
George LeSieutre, Sam Hess, and Mark Fredenburg fly through waves on the Mississippi River near Vicksburg, Mississippi, on March 22, 1977. By the photographers of the La Salle: Expedition II.
The crew at a presentation in Kenner, Louisiana, on April 2, 1977. In the front row: Ken Lewis, Steve Marr, George LeSieutre, Gary Braun, and Chuck Campbell; in the back row: Bob Kulick, Sid Bardwell, Marc Lieberman, and Keith Gorse. By the photographers of the La Salle: Expedition II.
All six canoes stop for a paddle salute outside New Orleans on April 3, 1977, while a crowd and a fleet of powerboats look on. By the photographers of the La Salle: Expedition II.
At the Gulf of Mexico at the end of their voyage, Reid Lewis claims the territory for France next to a cross made of driftwood while the crew looks on, April 9, 1977. By the photographers of the La Salle: Expedition II.
THE LAST VOYAGEURS
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Copyright © 2016 by Lorraine Boissoneault
First Pegasus Books edition April 2016
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