Reviewed by: The Cadottes: A Fur Trade Family on Lake Superior by Robert Silbernagel Roger L. Nichols Robert Silbernagel. The Cadottes: A Fur Trade Family on Lake Superior. Madison: Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2020. Pp. 352. Bibliography. Illustrations. Maps. Notes. Paperback: $28.95. In this thoughtful book, the author gives himself a difficult task. Robert Silbernagel wants to follow the lives and activities of the Cadotte family in the international fur trade on the southern shore of Lake Superior. Beginning with the actions of Mathurin Cadot during the 1670s, he traces the roles of family members to the near present. This is a tall order because there are virtually no documents, except for some trade account ledgers, no collections of personal letters, no diaries or family reminiscences to help put "meat on the bones" of this family. Silbernagel recognizes this and describes feeling as though he saw "the Cadottes through a veil." (xiii) If this were the story of a single person, it would be labeled a "life and times" rather than a biography. Yet the lack of personal material has not distracted the author from showing the family's contributions to the history of the region. His central thesis is that prior to late nineteenth century industrialization, the fur trade was the largest and most significant part of the regional economy. Coupled with that, he presents the roles played in the trade by French Canadian and French Indian métis, the Cadottes belonging to both groups, as being essential to the international success of that trade. These people and their Indian trading partners gathered and [End Page 158] transported the furs gathered in northern Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota to Montreal on their way to European markets. While tracing the fur trade, the author ties the Cadottes to the shifting international competition between the British and French in Canada, and later between the British and the Americans effectively. He also depicts the family as competent translators and diplomats who helped keep peace between the Ojibwe and their Dakota neighbors. Family members had two strong motivations. First, several of them married Ojibwe. Second, warfare disrupted the trade, so they saw diplomacy as essential. The narrative highlights the Cadottes' business skills, honesty, and general competence in a dangerous world of frequent challenge and change. The narrative gives most attention to Michel Cadotte and his Ojibwe wife Equaysayway and their lives on Madeline Island. Married into a prominent Indian family, Michel became a successful and respected trader, interpreter, and forest diplomat. The couple fit well into the mixed-race society that the trade fostered, and late in life had a church wedding, probably to protect their land claims and those of their children after the Americans had taken control of the area. Based on extensive research, this book is both readable and informative. While the names of men important in regional history including James Doty, Alexander Ramsey, Henry Dodge, and John Jacob Astor all appear, the Cadottes tie the narrative together. Their actions for nearly two centuries give a framework to the story. Because he lacks much personal or family data, the author fills out the family story by deft use of local details related specifically to the fur trade. He discusses wilderness travel and means of transportation such as snowshoes and the varieties of canoes, illustrates the difficulties of long, exhausting portages, and considers the roles of maple sugar making and wild rice harvesting for local Indians and their trade partners. To help guide the reader through the family history, the book includes a Cadotte family tree as well as a timeline that covers the two hundred years of family history. It has clear and effective maps and photos of people and places being discussed. This is an interesting and careful history that focuses on an era, a business, and people who rarely get much attention. [End Page 159] Roger L. Nichols Emeritus Professor of History and Affiliate in American Indian Studies University of Arizona Copyright © 2021 Historical Society of Michigan
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