This course will trace the role and impact of the earliest Europeans to penetrate the interiors of North America, the fur trappers and fur traders of French, Dutch, English, and eventually American lineage. We will begin by discussing the French coureur des bois and voyageurs who spread from the St. Lawrence River valley far past the western Great Lakes in the 17^th century, often living among the indigenous people and adopting their customs.  We will then move on to the significant challenge posed to the French from the far north by the English Hudson's Bay Company, whose trappers and traders did much to explore and map the vast Canadian expanses all the way out to the Pacific.  In our final two sessions, we will touch upon the fur trade as it was carried on primarily by Americans in the first half of the 19^th century, centered around the Rocky Mountains and carried out in both concert and conflict with the native peoples there. Such figures as John Colter (a member of the Lewis and Clark expedition), William Sublette, Manuel Lisa, Jim Bridger, and Jedediah Smith will figure prominently as we delve into the lasting impact of these “mountain men” and the enduring lore surrounding their legacy.

Subject: history

Michael Stevens has a Ph.D. in literature from the University of Dallas and has taught American literature and various writing courses in Grand Rapids for more than 25 years. A native of upstate New York, he traces his interest in baseball history to a boyhood visit to Cooperstown, and his interest in the Civil War to the presence of his great-great-grandfather's veteran's monument (15th NY Cavalry) in the family burial plot in Caroline, NY.