Our latest episode is on Étienne Brûlé – a Frenchman who would become the most famous of the Coureur de bois – or “Runner of woods.” In the early 1600s, he would be critical in exploring lands around the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes, becoming the first man to visit Lake Superior and Lake Ontario, as well as venture into modern-day Pennsylvania.
Sources
There is not a lot about Étienne Brûlé, but here is a list of some of the better online resources available:
- History of Brûlé’s discoveries and explorations, 1610-1626 – this is an old (1898) biography of Brûlé by Consul Willshire Butterfield. It’s dated, but still quite a good read. And it’s free – so enjoy.
- Canadian Museum of History
- Dictionary of Canadian Biography – one of the more complete online biographies of Brûlé
- History of the Great Lakes
- Wikipedia – Étienne Brûlé
- Wikipedia – Coureur de bois – learn about the famed early frontiersmen
