Fort William Historical Park, Thunder Bay, Ontario

 

This is a well-maintained privately owned park in Thunder Bay, Ontario. There are two sides to the Park. First is a recreation of For William, which it turns out was never located in this location. Meticulous drawings of the fort were made, however, and the recreation is said (by guides) to be accurate. So no Disney-like modified recreation here, right? Just facts. (Note, however, that there are actors in period costumes who attempt to speak in fake 1810s accents.) The second side of the Park is a concert area. When we visited the venue was beginning a weekend-long Country Western Festival, Country on the Bay, July 19-21. Blake Shelton, Dallas Smith, Trace Adkins were slated to be there. The festival was interesting because they split into two halves—one for drinkers and one for teetotalers. Nice idea. Capacity was 12,000 a day. Three-day pack was $366.12.

Back to the Fort, though, which was interesting as a prototype of a trading spot. Fort William was named for William McGillivray, chief director of the North West Company between 1804 and 1821. The fort was not actually built for defensive purposes—the only attacks would be from the U.S. By 1815 the local Anishinaabeg would have been pretty tamed. This subgroup was of Anemic Wajiw, Thunder Mountain. Most of the Anishinaabeg around Lake Superior were Ojibwa. 

                                                      

There is an Indian encampment near the fort, by the river. The guides also noted that a Métis village would have been located across the river also. There was also a spot where visiting traders pitched their tents. There were several long canoes illustrating the vessels the traders probably used. We also saw how the pelts were bundled into standard size cubes just light enough for one man to carry with a strap around his forehead. Each trapper was said to take two bales in his canoe—any more and he would not have been able to carry things over the rapids between Thunder Bay and Montreal.

The Great Hall sits at the center of the fort. Around this are yards for canoe making, blacksmithing, and living. There was also an agricultural field. There were quarters for a few—the head of the fort and family and a ship’s captain. But the population of the fort was very low during the winter. The Anishinaabeg probably wintered in locations to the south with more game. 

One thing the fort got right was its description of the annual Great Rendezvous held in the summer at the fort, on the confluence of the Kaministiquia River at Lake Superior. Natives and traders would come from all over to trade at that time. The main trader was the North West Company, which evidently built and controlled the fort. Fort William, we were told, was the half-way point in the fur trade. Traders from Montreal could come in the summer and get back before the winter. This from the west had a longer wait and were sometimes forced to winter at Fort William. The North West Company merged with Hudson’s Bay Company in 1821, after which the fort lost its reason for existing. Most trade shifted to York Factory on Hudson Bay, although it remained as a minor post. 

In fact explanations note it was originally built by the American Fur Company, owned John Jacob Astor (1763-1848). Astor had traded with the North West Company from 1794. But he couldn’t import from them with the Embargo Act of 1807, when he set up the American Fur Company. Astor in 1822 moved the American Fur Company head office to Robert Stuart House on Mackinac Island. Astor sold the American Fur Company in the 1830s to focus on real estate in New York.

The North West Company originally traded at Grand Portage. This was ceded to the U.S. under the terms of the Jay Treaty of 1794. Any trading at Grand Portage then became subject to U.S. taxation. The Kaministiquia site had been occupied by the French in 1683 and 1717, but later abandoned. Fort William was built in 1807 (Wikipedia has 1803). So its period of major activity was between 1807 and 1821, a relatively brief reign over trade, given the three+ centuries of fur trade in the Great Lakes region.

Fort William was one of many trading posts in the Great Lakes region. The largest were probably Michilimackinac and Detroit, besides Montreal. This visit opened my eyes to the trading networks that criss-crossed this region, and to the mixing of French, British, American and Anishinaabeg that characterized most of its early history. The original Fort William, and the city of Thunder Bay today, is built on land leased from the Anishinaabeg.

Gothenburg, Sweden

Images of the Norse Gods

Here is Odin, recognizable from his one eye.  His right eye was given to Mimer for the right to drink from the Font of Knowledge.  His horse Sleipnir has eight legs.

This rather surprised-looking god is, of course, Thor.  He is in charge of the weather, the planets, and the growth of plants.  His hammer is called Mjölnir.  It always hits its target.

Freyr, the fertility god.  Twin brother to Freyia, with whom he was married for a time.  He is seen holding his ship, Skidbladnir, which can hold all the gods.  When not in use it fits neatly into Freyr's pocket.

Freyia, sister to Freyr, is goddess of sexuality.  She is fierce in battle.  She is charged with bringing home slain warriors after battles.  She roams the world in the form of a bird.

The City

Old map of Gothenburg (Göteborg).  It was laid out like a Dutch walled, fortified city, in star shape, along the River Göta.  Many of the original inhabitants were Dutch--it was known as a Dutch city.  There were Germans, Scottish, English, and others.

Gothenburg was founded in 1621 by real decree from King Gustavus Adolphus.  The city was set up for international trade.  It was the headquarters for the Swedish East Indian Company.  The city museum is housed in the former head office of the SEIC, on a canal where the ships were loaded and unloaded.

Gothenburg is the second largest city in Sweden.  The population of the metro area is around one million.  It is well-known for its International Film Festival (every January) and Gothenburg University and Chalmers University of Technology.  Chalmers was founded William Chalmers in 1829.  Chalmers, a Scot, was a director of the SEIC.

Gothenburg remains Sweden's main port.

Moganshan Art District, Shanghai

Moganshan is Shanghai's answer to Beijing's 798 art district.  A great idea, with plenty of galleries jostling for sales.  Quite commercial.  798 is now also.

 Designated a Tripple-A Tourist site.

 This building #1, above, said to have been built originally in 1938.

 Scene above from the video The Night Man Commeth by Yang Fudong, 2011.

 Installation above by Geng Jiangyi, The Content Is Disturbed by its Shadow, 2011.  The viewer looks through a pinhole at the set piece, a domestic living room scene covered by aluminum foil.

 From M50 Gallery.

 Wu Shanzhuan, Butterfrog, drawing.

 This indoor hallway (above) is packed with galleries and stores carrying works by local artists.

 The most interesting works at Moganshan?  The graffiti on the walls outside.  Refreshing.  One of the few places true graffiti is allowed.  Or is it just outdoor art?

Scenes from Luer Temple, Tainan, Taiwan

Luer is a village ten minutes from Tainan city in southern Taiwan.  This is a massive temple devoted to Mazu, the goddess of seafarers worshipped widely in southern China.  On this festival day processions from other subsidiary temples throughout Taiwan visited to pay respects to the main Mazu image.  They usually follow a processional circuit through the surrounding villages, carrying the images and banners under the hot sun.