Historical living

Eric Cline says living like a voyageur keeps him coming back to Fort William Historical Park every year.

The 50-year-old technologist with Lakehead University has attended the Old Fort’s annual rendezvous event for the past 27 years. He and his wife, Ann-Marie, and his two children set up their camp along the fort’s palisade last week along with about 160 rendezvous participants. They spent the first five days of rendezvous enjoying the sun, the food and the chance to live the life of a voyageur.

Cline portrayed Louis Beaulac, a Quebec voyageur with the Northwest Company and said it’s fun to live the life of someone who lived in 1815. His attire was historically accurate down to the leather moccasins, sash and top hat. The clothes he wore were the work clothes of the voyageur. He felt more comfortable in that kind of outfit than in a gentleman’s suit, he said.

"You can read about voyageurs and hear about them but when you actually do it you realize why they lived that way," Cline said on Sunday. "It’s a proud feeling to be here and be apart of the fort and explaining to people from North American and around the world a little bit about who we are and why we are here."

The weather constantly changed during his five-day stay at Fort William. It rained most of Saturday and on Sunday, the warm summer sun had Cline and his family under a canopy for shade. He said that was all part of the experience.

But by the end of his stay, he said escaping into the past was a great way to be rejuvenated.

"I’m exhausted from being here, you don’t sleep well because you here people walking by or the geese stop by your tent but by the end you’re refreshed," he said. "It resets your priorities. You finish rendezvous and you think I can deal with things again. It’s a hard vacation but it rejuvenate you in a lot of ways."

Jon Foreman, acting BVT specialist with Fort William Historical Park, said the re-enactors come from all over Canada as well as from the United States to come and live the life of voyageurs in the year 1815. The live outside the fort in historical tents, wear historical clothing and cook their foods with historical methods.

He said both participation and visitation for the event has gone well despite yesterday’s rainfall.

"We’ve got a lot of people to come out and see the re-enactors in their element," Foreman said. "The whole point of the event is to celebrate Canada’s past and celebrate the fur trade. There are other rendezvous, other trading posts and other historical sites but Fort William has that national importance. That national significance because it was one of the largest rendezvous points. Being able to bring it to life where it used to happen that’s really unique."