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Coureur de Bois== Iroquois attacks against Montreal ==

Ville-Marie was a noteworthy site for it was the center of defense against the Iroquois, the point of departure for all western and northern journeys, and the meeting point to which the trading Indians brought their annual furs (pg. 11-12). This placed Ville-Marie, later known as Montreal, at the forefront against the Iroquois which resulted in its trade being easily and frequently interrupted. The Iroquois were in alliance with the Dutch and English, which motivated them to interrupt the French fur trade and lead the furs down the Hudson River to the Dutch and English settlements (pg. 12). This also put the Iroquois at warfare against the Hurons, the Algonquians, and any other tribes that were in alliance with the French (pg. 12). If the Iroquois could destroy New France and its Indian allies, they would be able to trade freely and profitably with the Dutch and English on the Hudson River. The Iroquois formally attacked the settlement in its foundation year of 1642, and in almost every subsequent year thereafter. It was a militant theocracy which maintained Montreal (pg. 13). In 1653 and 1654 reinforcements arrived at Montreal which allowed the Iroquois menace to be halted (pg. 16). In that year the Iroquois made peace with the French, and the governor of New France Jean de Lauzon took the opportunity to send two Frenchmen westward accompanied by the Ottawas (pg. 17). In 1654 they departed from Montreal, the place where the Ottawas brought their furs and goods. For just as Montreal was once the centre of French resistance during the years of the Iroquois threat, so it became the center for French advance during the period after 1654 when the French stabilized their position and began once more to advance (pg. 18).

A colonist and soldier of New France, Adam Dollard des Ormeaux, is a notable figure regarding the Iroquois attacks against Montreal. The Iroquois soon resumed their assaults against Montreal, and the few settlers of Montreal fell almost completely to hostile Iroquois forces. In the spring of 1660, Adam Dollard des Ormaeux led a small militia consisting of 16 men from Montreal against a much larger Iroquois force at the Long Sault Rapids on the Ottawa River. All of the young Canadians lost their lives, but they succeeded in turning back the Iroquois invasion and are responsible for saving Montreal from destruction. The encounter between Ormeaux and the Iroquois is of significance because it dissuaded the Iroquois from further attacks against Montreal. (pg. 27-28)

Coureur de Bois
The coureurs de bois were responsible for starting the flow of trade from Montreal, carrying French goods into upper territories while the Indians were bringing down their furs. The coureurs travelled with intermediate trading tribes, and found that they were anxious to prevent French access to the more distant fur-hunting tribes. Still, the coureurs kept thrusting outwards using the Ottawa River as their initial step upon the journey and keeping Montreal as their starting point (pg. 19-20). The Ottawa River was significant because it offered a route that was practical for Europeans, by taking the traders northward out of the territory dominated by the Iroquois. It was for this reason that Montreal and the Ottawa River was a central location of Indian warfare and rivalry. Montreal faced difficulties by having too many coureurs out in the woods. The furs coming down were causing an oversupply on the markets of Europe. This challenged the coureurs trade because the coureur so easily evaded controls, monopolies, and taxation, and additionally because the coureurs trade was held to debauch both Frenchmen and Indians (pg. 20). The coureur debauched Frenchmen by accustoming them to fully live with Indians, and Indians by trading on their desire for alcohol. The issues caused a great rift in the colony, and in 1678 it was confirmed by a General Assembly that the trade was to be made in public so as to better assure the safety of Indians. It was also forbidden to take spirits inland to trade with the Indians. However these restrictions on the coureurs, for a variety of reasons, never worked. The fur trade remained dependent on sprits, and increasingly in the hands of the coureurs who journeyed north in search of furs (pg. 22).