Jean Baptiste Perrault (Perrot) II: (1763 - 1844)
He was the son of Jean Bte.Perrot (Perrault)
I & Marie Lemaitre, born at Trois-Rivieres, Quebec. His father belonged
to a very respectable Canadian family and was employed in the time
of the French, in a forge at Saint-Maurice, then at Trois-Rivières,
when the country became an English Colony. Later, he was trading at Rivière-du-Loup.
Jean II departed, in 1783, in order to trade on the Illinois on the behalf
of Nicolas Marchesseau, an important trader at this time on the Upper Mississippi.
His companions on this journey were Canadians: Sacharitè of Quebec;
St.Germain, Robert & Dupuis of Maskinongè; Antoine & Francois
Beauchemin, Ménard, L.Lavallée of Sorel & Yamaska . Marchesseau
sold all his goods in the trade to Chouteau, of St-Louis.
The following is his narrative of a trade
expedition he was on led by Alexander Kay to the height of land separating
the Mississippi & the Great Lakes drainage basins, west of the headwaters
of Lake Superior, in 1784-85, published in the "Michigan Pioneer and Historical
Collections" in 1909: "...Upon entering the river the next day and doubling
the point of the little lake, we saw a wintering-house. It was that of
Mr. Dufaut, come from Grand Portage, clerk for NW. and we stopped before
his door. As Mr.Kay had perhaps taken only one drink he now took the second
which made him ill-tempered so that instead of receiving politely Mr. Dufaut,
who came down to meet him on the beach, he treated him rudely...The character
of Mr.Kay was eccentric a man proud, impulsive, arrogant, enthusiastic,
- taking counsel from no one, - in short, hare-brained...We started at
all hazards to go into the interior with only what we had left...His party
was composed of 14 men, his sauvagesse, himself, and me...To crown our
misfortune we now met Mr.Harris with his three men and a savage named le
Grosse Martre...I advised him to remain at Fond du Lac and to go up to
the savages at the first opening of navigation, when they would be rich...Mr.Kay
and Mr.Harris with seven men set out in advance to engage the savages to
hunt...the savage arrived with a letter from Mr.Kay, informing me that
he had decided to go to the Riviere aux Pins, and that he would send me
some hunters. He directed me to try to advance to the Portage de la Prairie
if possible and to pass the winter there...It took us eleven days to go
from there to Portage de la Prairie amidst snow and ice, with nothing to
eat. We lived on the seed-pods of the wild rose and the sap of trees...I
made a lodge with an oilcloth near the small Lac de la Puise on the portage...the
26th of January and the 27th I went out with my man, whose name was Lauzon,
to cut logs to build a house, 12 feet long by 10 feet wide. It was finished
the 9th of February...We left the house about the 25th of April, for the
little rivers opened early there...The water was very high and we could
run the Portage des Pins, which we did. Mr.Kay wished to do as much, but
about half way down the rapid, the canoe turned completely over destroying
his baggage and he himself would have drowned, if le Petit Mort, his friend,
had not leaped in to his rescue...The next day we arrived at Lac des Sables
and reached the entrance near la Puisse...le Bras Casse, chief of Lac des
Sables was at the lower end of a bay with some of his men making canoes...We
remained there from the 27th day of that month till the 2nd of May to trade
with the savages, who came in form all sides...The savages gave me the
name of scribe, which they were accustomed to do to all whom the observed
writing. As soon as Mr.Kay was gone I did not want for visits; Mr.Kay's
savage woman staid in the tent with me. A great may savages came, among
whom were, Katawabitais and Mang-Ozeit, who said to me, Scribe, give us
some rum. I said to them that I could not, that I was not master. They
tormented me a long time...Le Bariqueaeu appeared, who said that Mr.Harris
and Mr.Pineau were about to arrive. Sure enough they appeared at le Puisse;
the savages, all drunk, uttered cries of joy...they themselves were drunk
from the flagon which Mr.Kay had carried with him...The festival was complete..."
Until 1789 he traded on the Chippewa, Minnesota,
Crow Wing & Mississippi Rivers and from 1789 to 1803 an employee of
the Fond du Lac Dept. He retired from the fur trade in 1821 and died at
Sault Ste.Marie in 1844.
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