Like other Indigenous Peoples, Métis in the Upper Great Lakes possessed an intimate knowledge of the lands and waters that enabled them to maintain their distinct Métis communities, culture, and way of life.
This knowledge is perhaps best exemplified by Métis mail carriers whose routes traversed the rugged landscapes between Métis communities before the introduction of roads and railways—often in grueling conditions.
Louis Miron was one such Métis mail carrier who traced a route between the Métis communities at Sault Ste. Marie and Killarney up to three times each month:
“We went by Mississaqua to La Cloch den cross de lac to Manitawaning den back to the mainlan’ at Killarney.”
Louis Miron’s knowledge of his mail route extended beyond the geography itself to medicines and plants that could be found along it. Miron would regularly use this knowledge to ensure his survival and care for others who occasionally joined him.
Late in life, for example, Miron would recall caring for the inexperienced John Egan while travelling his mail route during the dead of winter:
“He was all froze when I find him, and so I took him back to de islan’ we was just pass and light a big fire of pine an cedar and make de big cup of tea and try to thaw him oud again… I never forget dat last thirty mile pull, but at las’ we get to the Saut.”
These mail routes between Métis communities—and the Métis knowledge they inspired—not only ensured the essential flow of information and supplies, but contributed to a distinct Métis way of life in the Upper Great Lakes that continues to this day.
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