The Swanson family has been an active part of the Upper Great Lakes and Abitibi Inland regions for generations. As Hudson’s Bay Company employees and community advocates, they left a significant mark on the region, though not without facing resistance along the way. While six of William Swanson and Frances Robinson’s Métis sons travelled throughout the region and beyond, continuing the family’s work with the HBC, their Métis daughters remained in the Abitibi Inland area. Ther

The Métis community in Moose Factory took care of one another and those around them during times when resources were scarce and winters were long.  Valentine Saunders, for example, worked diligently to provide for his large Métis family of seventeen children, establishing a hunting camp and using his skills to harvest hares, fish, and other game to ensure their well-being. This was essential given the challenges of provisioning such a remote location, which his son, John Saun

John Saunders was a Métis storyteller from the Abitibi Inland Métis Community, born in 1845 at Matawagamingue—a small inland Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) post. In his 1867 autobiography, John documented stories from his upbringing and early career, casting light on both his Métis community and the fur trade world within which he grew up.  With his Métis family, John spent his early years immersed in the fur trade world, watching his father Valentine practice essential tradition

Métis communities across the Homeland were active in the fur trade and significant contributors to the essential ‘overwintering’ practice. Overwintering involved living and working at remote fur trade posts throughout the winter months, often with only a few other employees and companions.  While canoe brigades and seasonal traders would return to their home bases, overwinterers would continue living near and conducting commerce with First Nations trappers, trading en déroine

Reginald Alexander Nicolson was born in Moose Factory on September 3, 1892, to Allan Nicolson and Clara Caroline Vincent. He grew up in the James Bay region and worked as a bank clerk before the First World War.  Reginald’s grandfather, Thomas Vincent, was among the Métis at Moose Factory who petitioned the government for recognition and “compensation in lieu of lands”—a request shared directly with Prime Minister Thompson, who was warned that these Métis “would be inclined t

Frederick McLeod, son of 1905 Moose Factory Métis petitioner George McLeod, left his community in Moose Factory to enlist in the First World War in January 1916. After a year of training, Frederick sailed for overseas service with his unit on February 16, 1917. Upon arrival in England, the battalion was reorganized, and Frederick was reassigned to the 6th Railway Battalion, where he continued his training in preparation for entering active duty in France in April 1917. Unlike