Craft Industries at Fort Michilimackinac, 1715-1781

Book excerpt: Craft industries, non-agricultural activities producing surplus goods beyond the producing household's needs, are a neglected topic in fur-trade studies. This dissertation is a comprehensive historical archaeological study of the craft industries at Fort Michilimackinac, a major mission, fur trade entrepot and military outpost on the eighteenth century Great Lakes frontier. Documentary sources used include military and commercial documents and traveler's accounts. Archaeological data from the ongoing (since 1959) excavations at Michilimackinac is an equally important source of information. The major conclusion of this study is that there were no independent full-time craftsmen or craftswomen at Michilimackinac. Craftsmen necessary for survival of the settlement, blacksmiths, carpenters, coopers were sponsored by the institutions in authority, the military, colonial government and church. Other craft activities, such as the production of tinkling cones, lead shot, Micmac pipes and maple sugar, were carried on as side activities by trader's families in order to supplement their income. Reuse and repair were common survival activities on the frontier.