Lac La Biche - History - Aboriginal Descendants

Fosseneuve | Terror at the Mission | Trading Post | Pioneers

TRADING POST

A Fur Trade Legacy

Of all the independents and free traders who plied the Lac La Biche area - the Prudens, the Hamelins, the Elmore Brothers, and the Revillon Freres - few were as successful or as long-lived as the Ladouceurs.

The original namesake, Joseph Ladouceur, came west from Quebec in 1804. He traveled with David Thompson and Alexander Henry. At some point he served out his contract and moved to Lac La Biche, where he married the daughter of Joseph Cardinal - the same Joseph Cardinal who had invited Father Thibault to Lac La Biche in 1844.
In 1813 Joseph Ladouceur's wife gave birth to Joseph, who married Julie Auger in 1843. It was this Joseph - listed in official records as Joseph Sr. - who established a trading post near present day Plamondon on what eventually became River Lot 3. Joseph and Julie had five surviving sons, four of whom were engaged in the fur trade: Joesph (Jr.), Augustin, Narcisse, and David. The fifth son, Adam, became a farmer.

When Joseph (Sr.) died in 1890 the trading post came under the control of Joseph (Jr.). He moved it to River Lot 45, near Nortre Dame des Victories. It was an impressive two storey building with hardwood floors and an upright piano. From this vantage point, Ladouceur competed very successfully against W.E. Train and other HBC traders. Ironically, he did it with goods he purchased from the Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Garry.

Ladouceur harboured such a deep suspicion of banks that he kept all of his money in a big trunk hidden somewhere at the post. Legend has it that when he died after suffering a fall down the stairs, the money was never found.

Joseph's brother, Augustin, was also extremely successful. He was the first person to raise and breed fox in the Lac La Biche area. He made a small fortune selling fox to farmers on Prince Edward Island during the great fox boom shortly before the outbreak of the Great War (it is estimated that Augustin sold up to 200 fox breeders which were fetching prices as high as $6000 each).

Photo
Right. Joseph Ladouceur (Jr). He built a trading post on River Lot 45, near Notre Dame des Victoires. A very successful trader, he competed against the Hudson's Bay Company using their own goods, which he purchased from Fort Garry. At left, one page of a four page HBC bill of lading, dated June 29, 1877. The total bill was more than $1000, a considerable sum in the 1870s.

The trading post Joseph Ladouceur (Jr) established near Notre Dame des Victoires. He died when he fell down the stairs and broke his neck. A suspicious man, he did not believe in banks and kept all of his money at home in a big trunk. Legend has it that after he died the post was searched from top to bottom but the money was never found. His wife later moved to Yellowknife. The old trading post remained a local landmark until it burned down in the late 1960s.

"March 19, 1895. Father Tissier sang a high mass for Joseph Ladouceur in honour of the feast of St. Joseph. " This entry from the Mission Codex gives some idea of the high esteem in which the Ladouceur family was held. The Joseph Ladouceur referred to here was Joseph Sr, who died in 1890.

Augustin Ladouceur and family. The first person in the Lac La Biche area to raise and breed fox, he made a small fortune by selling an estimated 200 breeders to Prince Edward Island farmers during the great fox boom between 1911 and 1914. Good breeders fetched prices between $2000 and $6000 each. An extremely frugal man, locals often joked that Augustin would "rip apart the sidewalk for a penny."