The Fur Trader: From Oslo to Oxford House

by Einar Odd Mortensen Sr., Gerd Kjustad Mortensen (With), Ingrid Urberg (Editor), Daniel Sims (Editor)

Overview

The Fur Trader is a critical edition of Einar Odd Mortensen Sr.’s personal narrative detailing the years (1925–1928) he spent as a free trader at posts in Pine Bluff and Oxford Lake in Manitoba during the waning days of the fur trade. Mortensen’s original narrative has been translated from Norwegian to English, and supplemented with a scholarly introduction, thorough annotations, a bibliography, and a reading guide. This additional material presents the author as a product of Norwegian culture at the time, and guides the reader through a close reading of Mortensen’s interpretations of his work and travels, the people he encountered, the Indian Residential School system, and Indigenous participation in the First World War. Mortensen’s insights and experiences will be of interest to scholars, students, and enthusiasts of the fur trade and contribute to literary, Indigenous, and Scandinavian studies.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781772126143
Publisher:	The University of Alberta Press
Publication date:	09/29/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	9 MB

About the Author

Gerd Kjustad Mortensen is the daughter-in-law of Einar Odd Mortensen Sr. She holds a M.Ed. and has taught at Oslo College, Hamar College, and at the University of Stavanger.
Ingrid Urberg is Associate Professor of Scandinavian Studies at Augustana Campus, University of Alberta.
Daniel Sims is a member of the Tsay Keh Dene First Nation. He is Associate Professor of First Nations Studies at the University of Northern British Columbia.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements ix Introduction xi Ingrid Urberg&Daniel Sims Map xli 1 | North of the 53rd Parallel 1 2 | Alone at the Trading Post 17 3 | From Camp to Church 27 4 | From Greenhorn to Old-Timer 47 5 | Sons of the Wilderness 57 6 | Hudson’s Bay versus Free Trader 89 7 | Towards New Hunting Grounds 97 8 | Days at Oxford Lake 113 Epilogue 127 A Personal Perspective on the Author and the Book Gerd Kjustad Mortensen Reading Guide and Discussion Questions 137 Notes 141 Bibliography 167