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In the spring of 1912, Ojibwe guide Billy Magee received a letter from future conservationist Ernest Oberholtzer asking Magee to accompany him on a journey. Soon after, the two headed into the Canadian Barren Lands of upper Manitoba for a five-month canoe trip that would lead them to unmapped territory and test both their endurance and their friendship.
Tracing the route of the Oberholtzer-Magee expedition, The Old Way North transports readers through the history of this perilous wilderness and introduces them to the mapmakers, fur traders and trappers, missionaries, and native peoples who relied on this corridor for trade and travel. Through journals, historical records, personal interviews with Cree, Dene, and Inuit, and the account of a present-day canoeist, wilderness and conservation writer David Pelly reconstructs the many tales hidden in this land.
David Pelly has been traveling, living, and learning in the Arctic since the late 1970s. He is the author of several articles and books on wilderness expeditions and conservation.
1 Looking North 3
2 The Journey Begins 15
3 At the Frontier 41
4 Memories 69
5 Into the Beyond 83
6 Downstream at Last 97
7 Dene Reflections 115
8 Trappers' Country 123
9 Nu-thel-tin-tua, Qikiqtariaktuk 133
10 Run to the Sea 147
11 Arviat 159
12 Heading South 169
13 The Outside 179
Envoi 187
Selected Bibliography 189
Index 191
Overview
In the spring of 1912, Ojibwe guide Billy Magee received a letter from future conservationist Ernest Oberholtzer asking Magee to accompany him on a journey. Soon after, the two headed into the Canadian Barren Lands of upper Manitoba for a five-month canoe trip that would lead them to unmapped territory and test both their endurance and their friendship.
Tracing the route of the Oberholtzer-Magee expedition, The Old Way North transports readers through the history of this ...