North America Travel

Missouri: Cahokia Mounds

Exploring an Ancient Civilization Just Outside St. Louis

by Kelley Baster

Few things are appealing about a 10-hour drive in the middle of February. The gray and brown landscape along a flat, straight highway isn’t exactly scenic. Fortunately for me, this particular drive was broken up by a stop to a major historical site that I may never have visited if it weren’t for this trip. I had casually mentioned the trip from Ohio to Kansas that I was planning, and an acquaintance told me to stop by Cahokia Mounds on the way. While researching this option, I was surprised to discover that this site was once home to the most extensive and advanced pre-Columbian settlement in the modern United States. Yet, somehow, I have no recollection of ever studying it or even hearing about it.

As soon as I went in the interpretive center at Cahokia, I was welcomed by a friendly volunteer who let me know the next film about the settlement would be beginning soon. I made my way to a large theater and learned a lot from the brief documentary about life at Cahokia. I then began to explore the exhibits, which rivaled those of some of the bigger museums I’ve visited. They talked about daily life in the past, the surrounding environment, and the excavation that unveiled much of what is now known about Cahokia.

As early as 700 A.D., people began small settlements at the site that later became Cahokia Mounds. By the settlement’s peak in the late 11th and early 12th centuries, Cahokia is estimated to have contained 10,000-20,000 inhabitants. For some perspective, that’s double the current size of Aspen, CO, and just a little bit smaller than Key West, FL. Those thousands of residents were spread out over an area that stretched for over six square miles. The size of the settlement is even more impressive when compared to other cities at that time. The settlement at Cahokia surpassed the size of London in that time frame, and no other settlement in North America surpassed Cahokia it until Christopher Columbus and his companions arrived on the continent.

In addition to its size, Cahokia is noteworthy because of its level of progress for the time. Of course, even maintaining order in a settlement of its size shows a certain level of advancement. An extensive display even lets you walk through a life-size model that portrays a typical day at Cahokia. Walking through the scenes that depict people working, cooking, and playing truly helps visitors envision life at the time. Other indications of the settlement’s progress are present as well. One noteworthy instance is a calendar system created by a series of wooden posts, now known as Woodhenge. Similar to the way in which a sundial can indicate the time, the posts of Woodhenge indicate the time of year. A recreation of this setup can be seen today at the site.

After thoroughly exploring the museum, I made my way to the main historic attraction at Cahokia: Monk’s mound. At 92 feet tall, this earthwork seems to be as prominent in the park as it was in the Cahokia community nearly 1,000 years ago. While Monk’s Mound is impressive from the surrounding ground, I was certainly glad I took the stairs to the top to see the skyline of St. Louis and the surrounding park below. Numerous smaller mounds fill the rest of the park and are linked by trails that meander through the grounds. If I had visited in a warmer month, I certainly would have spent more time exploring these trails and mounds.

The historical significance of the Cahokia Mounds is so great that it has even earned the revered designation of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, making it one of only 23 such sites in the United States. It’s listed alongside much more popular destinations, like Independence Hall and the Statue of Liberty. The mounds, recreation of Woodhenge, and interpretive center all help visitors understand why Cahokia certainly deserves that designation.

If You Go:

Cahokia Mounds is located near St. Louis, MO, and is not far south of I-70.

Cahokia Mounds’ website provides museum hours, a trail map, and other information that will be helpful in planning your visit. No admission fee is required, but suggested donations are listed, ranging from $2 for children to $7 for adults.

More information about the historical significance of Cahokia Mounds can also be found on UNESCO’s website.

About the author:
Kelley has had an interest in travel, writing, and photography for most of her life, she has only recently begun to combine these interests into travel writing. She created her website, www.aboutthedestination.com earlier this year. Kelley prefers destinations that offer great hiking opportunities and natural scenery; however, she enjoys exploring cities once in a while too.

All photos by Kelley Baster
View of Monk’s Mound from ground level
View from top of Monk’s Mound. Interpretive Center can be seen in upper left corner
Stairs ascending Monk’s Mound
View from top of Monk’s Mound facing St. Louis skyline

Mexico: In the Footsteps of Hernán Cortés and the Three Faces of Veracruz

by Troy Herrick

Ambition, wealth, power, status, a thirst for adventure and even a little luck – dreams are made of these; and dreams are what propelled eleven Spanish galleons along the southeastern coast of Mexico in the spring of 1519 in search of military intel. The conquistadors on board were in need of intel because they wanted to establish a Spanish colony in Central Mexico.

By a stroke of luck, Hernán Cortés, the leader of the expedition, rescued a shipwrecked Spanish priest who had learned the Mayan language after having lived among them as a slave for eight years. His greatest prize however was receiving a tribute that included a young female slave who spoke both Mayan and Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs. By means of three-way translation Cortés learned about Moctezuma II and the rich and powerful Aztec Empire in Central Mexico. The long road to the Spanish conquest of Mexico had begun.

San Juan de Ulua and Chalchihuecan in Present Day Veracruz

Cortés set his sights on meeting Moctezuma. But how would he achieve this? He started by making a lasting impression on Moctezuma’s ambassadors whom he met on the Island of San Juan de Ulua in the harbor of what is now present-day Veracruz. The brash Cortés demonstrated the power of his cannons, rifles and horses to the ambassadors and then suggested that they may wish to inform Moctezuma of his impending arrival in their capital of Tenochtitlan (present-day Mexico City).

Shortly after, Cortés and his men crossed over to the mainland at Chalchihuecan, just opposite the island, in order to establish a beachhead. After setting up camp on the malaria-infested dunes, a party of men was dispatched northwards along the coast in search of a safe harbor for their ships.

Walking along the Malecon opposite the island, you find nothing that hints at the significance Chalchihuecan in the conquest of Mexico. This is likely because present-day Mexicans are not proud of this period in their history.

While at this new camp, Cortés first made contact with the local indigenous people known as the Totonacs, some of whom spoke Nahautl, and was invited to visit their capital to the north at Cempoala. You also have a standing invitation to visit Cempoala and you can plan your visit over a glass of Lechero Grande coffee at the Gran Café de la Parroquia. When you are refreshed, follow in the footsteps of Hernán Cortés.

Cempoala

As Cortés and his entourage approached Cempoala, he sent riders on ahead. Upon their return, they reported that everything was covered in silver. Imagine Cortés’ disappointment when he arrived and found that the “silver” was only the sun reflecting off the white plaster surfaces on all the structures inside the city.

Passing through the defensive walls surrounding the site, you find very little of that “silver” remaining today as the plaster has deteriorated over time. What you see instead are structures assembled from smooth river stones and limestone mortar, including the peripheral wall encircling the site.

The six-tiered Temple of the Sun (Great Pyramid) is the largest structure at Cempoala. At the base there is a round structure that may have served as an altar or a fire pit. This circle has a 7 foot external diameter and a 10 inch depth. A similar pit is also visible about half way up to the summit. Choose one of the two balustrade staircases and climb the 17 stairs to the top for a panoramic view of the site. You also find that part of the right staircase has been cut away to reveal an earlier structure underneath as evidenced by 7 stairs that are not constructed from river stone like the outer structure.

To the right of the Great Pyramid you find the Temple of Quetzalcoatl, the god of wind. This 5-tiered structure is unusual in that it consists of two sections; the front section is a rectangular platform while the back section is a circular platform representing the serpentine nature of this god. A model in the site museum shows that a circular sanctuary representing a coiled snake once stood on top of the circular platform. After climbing the 18 steps to the top you find that nothing remains of the sanctuary.

Three stone rings [TOP PHOTO] are situated at the opposite end of the site. The largest has an internal diameter of roughly 46 feet and the smallest about 4.5 feet. The most likely explanation for these structures is that they were used in tandem for calibrating astronomical cycles like the movements of the sun, moon and the seasonal changes over the course of a year. Each ring features a number of regularly spaced stepped pillars which could certainly have been used for such measurements. The largest ring has 40 pillars while the middle and smallest rings have 28 and 13 pillars respectively.

During his visit to Cempoala, Cortés allied himself with the Totonac chief. He also pledged to help free them from their 50 year subjugation by the Aztecs and their burdensome annual tribute to the Emperor.

At this time the soldiers sent out to find a better harbor had returned with important news. They had discovered another Totonac town that appeared to be a fortified port. Its name was Quiahuiztlan.

Quiahuiztlan

Arriving in Quiahuiztlan (pronounced “key-ah-wheez-tlahn”) you may feel that you are in Machu Picchu as this site is situated on a terraced slope adjoining a jagged mountain named Peñon de Bernal. With the aid of defensive walls, the residents must have felt relatively safe from any threats from below. These walls had proven to be ineffective as this city had also been subjugated by the Aztecs; now the Spanish were climbing the steep hill to make first contact.

Quiahuiztlan is best known as a cemetery for the nobility of Cempoala. Unique in all of Mexico, this site has over 70 miniature mausoleum-style tombs scattered around three cemetery levels. Each mausoleum is between 2 to 3 feet high with 3 or 4 miniature stairs leading up a “crypt” that only a GI Joe or Barbie doll could enter. We didn’t notice any evidence that these tombs had ever been violated so presumably the original occupants are still interred here.

Not all tombs were created equal. Some are in fact full size and you are able to climb on them. Tomb 1 has 8 ballustrade stairs leading up to a platform on which you find the remnants of 6 square pillars. Perhaps this was once a mausoleum that a priest might enter in order to leave a sacrifice.

Nearby is the 4-tiered Pyramid 1 which also appears to be associated with a tomb. Around the back of this structure, you find a platform with a rectangular hole that could have accommodated a corpse at one time. There was no one around, living or dead, who could confirm this however.

The living also resided at Quiahuiztlan as evidenced by the large rectangular structure with 24 inch thick stone foundation walls known as Building 3 and the 190 foot long ballcourt. I couldn’t help but wonder how long the game might have been delayed if the ball was accidently knocked outside the ballcourt and down the mountainside.

By the time Cortés had concluded his visit to Quiahuiztlan he had allied himself with a number of other Totonac chiefs who provided him with an army of at least 8000 warriors. He now prepared to march on Tenochtitlan to meet Moctezuma, but not before he left a garrison of his own men at what is now known as Punta Villa Rica on the beach below Quiahuiztlan.

Punta Villa Rica de la Veracruz – the First Veracruz

The sleepy fishing village of Punta Villa Rica has the distinction of being the site of the first permanent Spanish settlement in Mexico and the site of the first Veracruz. Cortés destroyed his ships on the beach here to prevent any of his men from deserting. He then utilized the wood from the ships and local stone to construct a fortress and a small church close to the beach. Only the stone foundations remain today. Visitors now travel to Punta Villa Rica for the sun, sand and beer; otherwise they appear to be oblivious to the history of this village.

Cortés abandoned Villa Rica in 1523, after the conquest of Mexico, to re-establish Veracruz at what is now known as La Antigua. This was necessitated because of the high winds that appear over the Gulf of Mexico during the wintertime. These winds were hazardous to shipping and therefore a safer port was required.

La Antigua – the Second Veracruz

Cortés and his men had initially passed through the vicinity of present-day La Antigua on their way from Chalchihuecan to Cempoala. When it came time to move Veracruz to a second location in 1523, they remembered the deep river that they had to cross and how it might be useful for sheltering their ships inland away from the gulf.

Arriving at La Antigua, make your way to the Casa de Cortés, a 26 room structure with a courtyard. It was built from orange-brown ballast bricks, coral and river stones taken from the nearby Antigua River. You will know you are there when you see Amate trees insidiously engulfing the walls and doorways of this “modest” home like some creature out of a horror movie. You can still find traces of how this structure may have looked in the 16th century when you see the tile flooring and weathered plaster in some of the rooms. A rusty old 12-pound cannon lies outside to provide that warm inviting atmosphere that comes with every home, because you just never know who might drop by for a visit like pirates, indigenous raiding parties or a mother-in-law.

Walk towards the river and you find the massively large and gnarled tree known as the Ceiba de la Noche Feliz. One root running along the ground is over 65 feet long and at least 3 feet in diameter. Cortés and his men were said to tie their boats to this tree. When you see how far this tree is from the river, they either used very long ropes or the river has since changed its course and moved further away.

A short walk away is the Ermita del Rosario, the oldest chapel on the mainland of the Americas. The white plaster façade has 3 bells hanging over the front door. Inside you find a vaulted nave with a rather plain looking altar and brown park bench-like pews. Do not confuse this chapel with another church known as the Iglesia de Cristo de Buen Viaje which you must pass before arriving at the Ermita del Rosario. You can distinguish the two because the Ermita does not have a red dome on its roof while the Iglesia does.

La Antigua was the main port of entry into New Spain for almost 80 years but it too was abandoned in 1599 due to frequent flooding. Galleons were lifted up with the rising water and sometimes left stranded on shore. What did the Spanish do then? In 1600 they returned to where it all began and settled at Chalchihuecan, the third and final Veracruz, opposite the then relatively new Fuerte (fort) de San Juan de Ulua, but that is a different story.

If You Go:

To visit the Malecon in present-day Veracruz, walk along the harbor on San Miguel Aleman Valdes on Insurgentes.

The Gran Café de la Parroquia is located on the Malecon, across from the Mercado de Artesanias on San Miguel Aleman Valdes on Insurgentes. A glass of Lechero Grande Coffee cost 40 pesos at the time of our visit. Cempoala (sometimes spelled Zempoala) is 49 km north of Veracruz. Admission to the archeological zone is 50 pesos.

Punta Villa Rica de la Veracruz is 80 km north of present-day Veracruz on Highway 180. Look for the sign labeled Villa Rica Playa on your right to enter the village. There are no signs to direct visitors to the stone foundations. The locals may be able to provide you with directions to the ruins but some Spanish will be required as English is not widely spoken in this area.

The road to Quiahuiztlan is directly opposite to that of Punta Villa Rica. Turn to the left and drive 4 km uphill. Admission is 40 pesos.

La Antigua is 18 km north of present-day Veracruz. All sites here are free to visit. The Casa de Cortés is located at Avenida Independencia at Calle Ruiz Cortés. Admission is free. The Ceiba tree and the Ermita del Rosario are approximately a half block away in opposite directions from the Casa de Cortés.

In order to visit all of these sites, you will require either a rental car or a taxi for the day. Taxis are inexpensive and you should negotiate a price. Also note that a car or taxi from Veracruz must pass through a tollgate just south of La Antigua so factor this cost into the price as well if you drive or hire a taxi.

About the author:
Troy Herrick, a freelance travel writer, has traveled extensively in North America, the Caribbean, Europe and parts of South America. His articles have appeared in Live Life Travel, International Living, Offbeat Travel and Travels Thru History Magazines.

Photographs:

Diane Gagnon, a freelance photographer, has traveled extensively in North America, the Caribbean, Europe and parts of South America. Her photographs have accompanied Troy Herrick’s articles in Live Life Travel, Offbeat Travel and Travels Thru History Magazines.

Delaware: The Wonders of Winterthur

by Theresa Troutman

Nestled in the verdant rolling hills of the Brandywine Valley in Delaware, you’ll find Winterthur Estate and Gardens. Once the home of the late Henry Francis DuPont, it now stands as the premier museum of American decorative arts.

An avid horticulturist, duPont supported the naturalistic garden approach to the 2,600-acre estate. Natural gardeners take the existing trees and plants that cover the landscape and add native plants and ground cover. The overall aesthetic is an abundant, less manicured garden. It was a different style from the formal French gardens that were all the rage at that time.

DuPont took great pains in his planning to ensure there was always something blooming every month. A quick look at the Winterthur website will list monthly blooms so you can visit year round and see the beauty of his simplistic approach. The result is a colorful array to delight walkers, joggers, and tourist who use the trails through the 60-acre garden.

A twenty-five-minute tram tour of the grounds highlights sections in the garden include Peony Garden, Sycamore Hill, the March Bank and the Sundial Garden. You will see 100-year-old cherry trees, which have outlived their standard fifty-year lifespan. The property also has a rare sure found in a valley in China that was thought extinct and brought to the property as a sapling in the 1940s. The tree has grown and thrived. The pre-historic tree grows two to three feet a year and current towers over all the older spruce trees on the property.

Adults and children alike can wander the Enchanted Woods. This delightful fairy garden delights young and old. Tucked under giant oak trees, the three-acre plot contains bird’s nest big enough for children to sit inside and view the wonders of the garden. Cross over the Troll Bridge and explore the delightful Faerie Cottage. You can also wander through the Fairy Ring. Step inside the ring of toadstools, but be warned, you may disappear among the mist. Legend has it stepping inside the ring will whisk you away to fairly land forever!

The mansion was built back in 1837 as a 12-room house in the Greek Revival style, situated on 450 acres of land. Through the generations, the house and grounds were expanded. When Henry DuPont assumed management of the estate in 1903, after his father’s death, the house expanded again to its current 175 rooms. While many privileged Americans were collecting European and Egyptian art, DuPont had a deep appreciation for American decorative antiques and started a life-long passion for collecting them.

Although the duPont family descended from France, Henry duPont was proud of his American heritage. You will find many portraits, bust and figurines of George Washington as you explore the museum. Martha Washington’s table china is proudly displayed in one room. Winterthur currently owns more pieces than Mt. Vernon.

An hour long guided tour of the house will take you through the atrium and living spaces, including family rooms, conservatory, dining room, and bedrooms. The current introduction tour shows visitors what it was like to be a weekend guest of the duPont family.

Exploration begins in main entrance with our guide describing what it must have been like to drive up the sprawling paved drive to Winterthur. Guest would be greeted in the main entrance and whisked off to their private bedrooms. Next, we see the parlor and family room where the guests would play cards, chat, or listen to Mrs. duPont play the piano. The real treat of the weekend would be the sumptuous dinners severed in the dining room. Attention to detail was key. Mr. duPont personally oversaw to the details of setting the mood with his use of color, selecting the perfect flowers and china setting to accompany the meal.

After you tour the house, check out the Galleries. Current exhibitions include Treasures on Trial: The Art and Science of Detecting Fakes, along with Collecting for the Future: Recent Additions to Winterthur Collection. The Dorrance Gallery contains the permanent collection of Campbell Soup Tureens. They range from simple to elegant and were an important part of lavish meals for the noble and wealthy.

If You Go:

Plan a two-day visit to experience the entire estate or if you live locally, become a member. Tours change seasonal basis, so you can always return to see and learn something new. The Yuletide tour every Thanksgiving through New Years is not to be missed and a sure-fire way to get you in the holiday spirit. If you love Downton Abbey, you’ll definitely want to put Winterthur on your travel to-do list.

Visit Winterthur at 5105 Kennett Pike, Winterthur, DE 19735
Admission is $20 Adult, $18 Seniors and $5 Children 2-11

About the author:
Theresa Troutman is an author and travel writer who lives in Pennsylvania. She loves adventures that take you off the beaten path, whether it’s a behind the scenes look at being a zookeeper or hopping on a random train and letting the day unfold. She’s a thrifty traveler who loves to share tips and insights into travel. You can read her blog at http://thesavvytraveler.us.

Photo credits:
Winterthur Museum #1 by Daderot / CC0
All other photos by Theresa Troutman

Canada: In Search of Beaver Tales and the Bible

by Troy Herrick

During the 16th and 17th centuries, Renaissance Europe extended itself out into the New World in search of wealth and to spread Christianity. The Spanish employed a more direct approach through conquest, looting and the forcible conversion of the Aboriginal population of Central and South America to the Catholic Faith. The French, on the other hand, had a more peaceful and cooperative approach with their stone age contemporaries through trading posts and Christian missions. European manufactured goods were exchanged for the Indians’ animal pelts while Jesuit priests would spread Christianity and conversion was voluntary. Both cultures benefited, evolved and prospered.

The origins of Canada’s resource-based economy date back to the 17th century with the establishment of New France – a private colony run by a French fur trading company. Where is the best location for a trading post? The answer was obvious. Go where the Aboriginals gather or camp. It all began on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River at the site known as Tadoussac where the first in a string of trading posts and missions was established.

Tadoussac

Tadoussac has the distinction of being the oldest village in Canada as well as the oldest surviving French settlement in the Americas. Pierre de Chauvin, who was granted a fur trading monopoly by King Henry IV, chose this site for colonization and a small trading post in 1600 because it was already known to Basque and Norman whalers. Tadoussac was also a traditional Aboriginal site for barter. What better location for having the furs brought directly to you? There was also a safe bay for sheltering ships. All Chauvin had to do was supply the settlement with items for trade and colonists.

Unfortunately, what Chauvin overlooked was the rugged terrain, poor soil and cold winters in this region, all of which proved to be quite taxing. Only 5 of the original 16 ill-prepared colonists survived the first winter and that was only because of Aboriginal intervention with food, shelter and natural medications. This trading relationship flourished and by 1603 the French were welcomed by the people they had named Montagnais or “Mountain People” as permanent settlers and as allies.

During the height of the French Fur Trading Period, Tadoussac Bay was filled with trans-Atlantic sailing vessels. Even today it is not unusual to find tall ships arriving. On the day of our visit there was a lone two-masted ship anchored offshore and it was flying the Jolly Roger.

Feeling that we would not encounter any pirates today, we walked to the site of the oldest trading post in Canada. The present Chauvin Trading Post structure, dating to 1942, is a well-worn replica of the original. You find a steeply pitched red roof over rough cut wooden walls. The peeling white paint on the exterior walls betrays the age of the structure. This property is enclosed within a 4-foot high wooden fence made from 2 to 3-inch thick tree branches. Two wigwam frames and a life-sized wooden Indian carved from a tree trunk complete the décor.

Inside you find a stone fireplace in the centre of the room and a canoe suspended from the ceiling. French fur traders learned how to travel along the rivers and lakes of the new land from the Indians by means of such a canoe and it was their lifeline.

Displays include examples of typical European items for trade such as axes, knives, metal pots, blankets, coats and even milled flour. The French did not provide alcohol for trade. Other displays include samples of various pelts such as beaver, martin, wolf and bear. Beaver was the most highly-prized pelt because it was used for fashionable men’s hats in Europe at the time. The French developed a reputation for fair trade as they could not afford to risk losing their sole source of furs – their allies the Montagnais.

Jesuit missionaries later arrived to establish the first mission in 1640 and build upon the friendly relations between the French and the Montagnais. Their goal was to convert the Indians to Christianity.

A short walk down the street from the trading post, you find the Petite Chapelle de Tadoussac, the oldest wooden church in Canada. Dating to 1747, this church was associated with the early Jesuit Mission. Oriented toward the St. Lawrence River, the exterior of the church features white-washed walls and a bright red roof and steeple. Climb the 8 stone steps and enter the church. Inside you find a very basic, rough wooden interior with two rows of eight pews in the nave. The rectangular interior ends in a semi-circular chancel housing a white altar decorated with gold colored trim. Behind the altar is a sacristy. This church is known to house some of the original items used in the first mass celebrated here but I was not able to confirm this with anyone.

Over time, local fur resources were depleted which necessitated traders to extend their reach out further by means of more distant trading posts such as those at Chicoutimi and Metabetchouane to the northwest. This was facilitated by the coureurs des bois (runners of the woods). Qualifications for such a position included a willingness to go native, paddling a canoe for up to 18 hours a day and capable of carrying at least two 90-pound bundles of furs at a time over a portage. Some portages were as long as 6 miles. Such a harsh lifestyle was not financially conducive to a comfortable and early retirement. Hernias and other serious injuries were common.

The coureurs des bois traveled up the Saguenay Fjord to Chicoutimi by water. Diane and I had a car and we did not have to lug heavy packs around portages. This allowed us to appreciate the beauty of the deeply chiseled Laurentian Mountains and the fjord, both having been carved out over successive ice ages. Steep rock faces ran along the river and heights of more than 450-feet were not uncommon along the way to Chicoutimi.

Chicoutimi

The Chicoutimi Trading Post and Jesuit Mission were established as early as 1676 on the site of an earlier Aboriginal settlement. At its peak, there were as many as 10 buildings including a chapel, store, clerk’s house and lodging for a Jesuit missionary. All good things must come to an end and this trading post was closed in 1856. The site continued to host a functioning chapel until 1930 when it too was demolished. Now all that remains is a marker to commemorate the trading post. With this we drove on to Metabetchouane Trading Post at Des Biens.

Des Biens

The Montagnais would tell horror stories to the French about scary monsters and dangers lurking in the Lac St. Jean in order to keep them out of the region filled with rich fur resources. This changed in 1647 when Jesuit missionary Jean de Quen was guided into the Des Bien area to assist with treating a large number of ill people. At the time, De Quen made no mention of the Metabetchouane River entering the lake at this location but he did not leave without establishing a church in the vicinity.

The accessibility of this location was not apparent until a second Jesuit, Charles Albanel, returned to attend a meeting of twenty Indian nations in 1671. Five years later the St. Charles Mission and the Metabetchouane Trading Post were operating at the mouth of the river on the site of a traditional Indian camp. Now exchanging goods was more convenient for both parties.

The Metabetchouane Centre of History and Archeology and Metabetchouane Trading Post details this period in history. A chart on the wall outlines the value of each European item in terms of beaver pelts. Items sought by the Montagnais had to be portable because of their nomadic lifestyle and had to improve their living conditions in such a harsh environment. These included rifles, powder horns, axes, scythes, hand drills, tin cups, metal pots, blankets, clothing and sail canvas which replaced animal skins on wigwams and long houses. Samples of these are displayed on the rough cut wooden walls inside the centre.

Cultural exchanges were also both desirable and inevitable as the coureurs des bois would winter with the Indians to ensure their own survival. They learned to construct birch bark canoes, toboggans and snowshoes. They lived off the land and survived on native foods that were unknown in Europe at the time like pumpkin, artichokes, maple syrup and moose and beaver meat.

Outside on the grounds is a reproduction of a small church. The original 1849 structure was built by the Hudson Bay Company on the site of Jean de Quen’s original church. A steeple with a cross crowns the rough-cut gray plank walls below. Just to the left of the church is a stone memorial dedicated to De Quen.

The grounds also contain a small powder magazine built some time before 1778. Look for the stone structure with gray wooden shingles and wooden door. Nearby is an A-frame roof covering a dome-shaped stone oven with two cast iron doors. A wigwam covered with sail canvas is also on site.

After touring the grounds, walk or drive through the narrow underpass down towards the water. Near the white gazebo, you find yourself standing on the site of the Hudson’s Bay Trading Post. The French trading post was situated opposite this spot on the other side of the river. We were unable to reach this site as we would have had to pass over private property. The French abandoned the Metabetchouane Trading Post in 1696 but the Hudson’s Bay Company resurrected it between 1768 to 1880 before finally closing it and moving to nearby Mashteuiatsh.

Mashteuiatsh

Present-day Mashteuiatsh, a First Nations Reservation on the shore of Lac St. Jean, is where you can learn about the Montagnais Culture as taught by the Montagnais themselves. While the French had named them Montagnais, they call themselves Pekuakamiulnuatsh or the People of the Shallow or Flat Lake because Lac St. Jean is only about ten feet deep at most.

The museum reflects the nomadic ways of the Pekuakamiulnuatsh and how their lives changed with the seasons. They collected berries in the summer, hunted moose in the fall and fished and trapped animals in the winter. Displays include the various tools used for survival.

A very informative audio helps to put their lifestyle into perspective and how they lived off the land. They transported their worldly goods by toboggan, hunted moose using rifles and fished with the aid of nets. They also assembled V-shaped hunting tents capable of sheltering up to 8 individuals. A portable wood burning stove, obtained by means of trading, provided warmth on those cold winter nights.

Outside on the grounds you can stroll through a forest interpretation trail known as the Nutshimatsh. Here you find local plants, trees and shrubs that were used for shelter, travel (toboggans and snowshoes), food (blueberries, wild cherries, raspberries) and medicines. I felt a sense of peace and tranquility come over me as I walked along these pathways.

Finally, this is the only place where you will find a wooden framed longhouse (shaputuan) that is capable of housing as many as 10 or 12 families wishing to settle in one location for a longer period of time. The shaputuan was approximately 36 feet long and 18 feet wide with a 12-foot high arched sail canvas roof. Warmth was provided during the winter by placing pine branches on the ground in addition to the portable wood burning stove with a chimney extending through the roof.

Continue your visit at the nearby Uashassihtsh Cultural Centre where you see traditional Pekuakamiulnuatsh craftspeople at work. The Pekuakamiulnuatsh were dependant upon the birch bark canoe for their survival and they viewed it as both living and as a source of life. At the cultural centre, they construct birch bark canoes using traditional methods. Two people can construct a canoe in two weeks using an axe or a crooked knife and a few other tools. The final product weighs about 85 lbs and is light enough for two people to carry it over a portage.

Our guide showed us a 20-inch diameter tambourine-like drum fashioned using a leather hide stretched over a circular wooden frame. She indicated that such a drum was a traditional hunting tool. While my first thought was that it would more likely scare the animals away, I could not have been more wrong. The elders would beat this drum and enter a trance-like state. Upon awakening they reported where the best hunting grounds were to be found.

The Pekuakamiulnuatsh hunted animals of all sizes and then processed the hides into leather. These were tied to and stretched out on wooden frames followed by softening them with bear fat, scraping them using caribou bone tools and finally preserving them using the smoke from an open fire in order to kill the bacteria. The leather was then used for clothing, gloves, moccasins and snowshoes.

Snowshoes were woven from strips of moose leather. An expert craftsman such as the one on site usually requires at least a day to weave a single snowshoe. At the time of our arrival he had just completed a snowshoe whose shape was somewhat reminiscent of a tennis racket at 3 feet long and approximately 20 inches wide, although styles and shapes do vary.

Meat and fish were preserved by being placed on the shelves of an almost conical wooden drying rack whose base was approximately 5-feet in diameter. Bannock, a traditional corn bread, was also available for tasting. I found the taste to be slightly reminiscent to that of regular white bread.

The final stop at the cultural centre was the general store where shelves were stocked with European goods including shortening, lard, baking powder, tea, oil lamps, china plates, cups, hats, clothing and blankets. You also find a number of animal pelts on the counter – beaver, lynx, otter, bear, wolf – suggesting that this was more than just a general store; it was also a trading post. This would appear to be a reproduction of the Hudson’s Bay Trading Post that was moved to Mashteuiatsh from Metabetchouane. I could not confirm that this was the original site of that trading post however.

Upon exiting the Uashassihtsh Cultural Centre, it is a short drive over to the Church of St. Kateri Tekakwitha. This very modern-looking church is dedicated to the first and only Aboriginal Saint to date. While there has been a church present on site since 1896, this one dates to 1987 and has a First Nations interior décor. The apse features a large crucifix hanging behind the altar flanked by a snowshoe on each side. The hand-carved statues of Mary and Joseph both have a natural wood finish, as does the wooden altar. The Chapel of St. Kateri on the right side of the nave houses her relic, a bone fragment taken from her lower sternum.

After leaving the church, I had a better appreciation for the relationship between the French and the Pekuakamiulnuatsh over the course of history. The French first came into contact with a stone age people yet they would not have survived in this harsh new environment without their assistance. At the same time, the lifestyle of the Pekuakamiulnuatsh was clearly improved through trade with the French. This may in fact be the only true example of peaceful co-existence in the New World where both parties benefited from associating with the other as opposed to being at odds.

If You Go:

Tadoussac is situated on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, 134 miles east of Quebec City.

The Chauvin Trading Post (Poste de Traite Chauvin) is located at 157, rue Bord De L’Eau, just above Tadoussac Bay. Admission is $5.

The Chapelle de Tadoussac is located at rue du Bord-de-l’Eau C.P. 219, just down the street from the Chauvin Trading Post. Admission is free.

Chicoutimi is located on the Saguenay River, 78 miles from Tadoussac.

The Chicoutimi Trading Post site was located in the wooded area between boulevard du Saguenay and rue Price.

Des Biens is on the south shore of Lac St. Jean, 46.8 miles west of Chicoutimi.

The Metabetchouane Centre of History and Archeology and Metabetchouane Trading Post (Centre D’Histoire et D’Archeologie del al Metabetchouane and Poste De Trait Metabetchouane) is located at 243 rue Hébert. Admission is $8.

Mashteuiatsh is approximately 20.8 miles west from Des Biens.

The Native Museum of Mashteuiatsh is located at 1787 Rue Amishk in Mashteuiatsh. Admission is $12.

The Uashassihtsh Cultural Centre (Site de Transmission Culturelle – Uashassihtsh) is located at 1514 Rue Ouiatchouan in Mashteuiatsh. Admission is $15.

The Church of St. Kateri Tekakwitha is located at 1787 Rue Amishk in Mashteuiatsh. Admission is free.

Photographs:
Diane Gagnon, a freelance photographer, has traveled extensively in North America, the Caribbean, Europe and parts of South America. Her photographs have accompanied Troy Herrick’s articles in Live Life Travel, Offbeat Travel and Travels Thru History Magazines.

Hotel Del Coronado: California’s Historic Grand Lady By The Sea

by Noreen Kompanik

Built in 1887, the Hotel del Coronado is a red-turreted Victorian architectural masterpiece and a famous National Historic Landmark. The quintessential legendary oceanfront beach hotel has hosted numerous U.S. presidents, foreign dignitaries, royalty and celebrities.

The captivating, elegant and timeless turn-of-the-century resort stands sentinel over a wide mile and a half of a spectacular pristine white-sand beach fronting the azure blue waters of the Pacific.

Though seaside resorts were commonplace along American coasts during the 19th century, few were as large or distinctive as “The Del,”—the moniker lovingly used by locals. And this historic hotel happens to be the second largest wooden structure in the United States.

Famous people have stayed at this magnificent resort like Thomas Edison, Charlie Chaplain, Babe Ruth, King Kalakua of Hawaii, Clark Gable, Vincent Price, Bette Davis and Katherine Hepburn.

Several Hollywood movies were filmed here —one of the most well-known, Some Like it Hot with Marilyn Monroe and Tony Curtis. Hollywood greats still flock to The Del, like Kevin Costner, Whoopi Goldberg, Brad Pitt, Madonna, Barbra Streisand and Oprah Winfrey.

L. Frank Baum, the writer and creator of the famous Wizard of Oz referred to Coronado Island as his “personal Oz.” He did much of his writing here and many believe The Del was the inspiration for the Emerald City.

This “Grand Lady of the Sea” is also reputed to be the setting of one of the most famous love stories of our time. It’s widely reported that Wallis Simpson, married to a U.S. naval officer at the time and living in Coronado, met her future husband at a grand banquet at the hotel in 1920, thereby changing the course of history.

That man happened to be Edward, Prince of Wales, who abdicated the British throne in order to marry the divorcée. Though she would never be queen, Wallis Simpson was granted the title of Duchess of Windsor and she and Edward lived a long and happy life together.

The Del was constructed at a time before San Diego had the raw materials or the manpower to support a structure of its type. Everything, including workers had to be brought in by rail from the Midwest. Miraculously, the Del was completed only 11 months after breaking ground. She opened in February, 1888 with an amazing 399 guest rooms and crowned the world’s largest resort.

Wealthy visitors traveled year-round from far and near to the iconic hotel because of San Diego’s exceptionally mild weather and 300-plus days of sunshine.

Surprisingly, the resorts lighting was provided by electricity—a novelty of its time. Other technologically-advanced amenities included an elevator, fire-alarm system and telephones in guest rooms. Even today, the antique elevator run by an operator in classical period attire carries guests to their appointed floors.

On New Year’s Day in 1937, during the Great Depression, the gambling ship SS Monte Carlo known for its “drinks, dolls and dice” was shipwrecked on a nearby beach. Fashionably-dressed hotel guests were photographed purposefully wading through wet sand and battering surf to scoop up anything they thought held value from the sunken ship.

During World War II, many West Coast resorts were requisitioned by the U.S. government for use as housing and hospitals. The Del, already housing many pilots training at nearby North Island Naval Air Station was never commandeered. The hotel manager convinced the Navy to abstain from taking over the hotel as it was already hosting families of service members going into harm’s way.

The hotel was designated as a wartime casualty station and later began a “Victory Garden Program” for the war effort planting vegetables, fruits and herbs to help reduce demand on the public food supply.

Throughout the years and even during tough financial times, The Del managed to continually upgrade its facilities and add cottages, rooms and villas on the property, while always retaining its charming Victorian character.

The magnificent beach resort has been grandly celebrating Christmas for 130 years with class and style. In 1904, the hotel introduced the world’s first electronically lit, outdoor living Christmas tree. The mighty conifer was 50-feet tall with 250 colored lights. Lighted lanterns also hung from its aromatic boughs.

Just strolling through The Del of the 21st century is an enchanting experience and a travel back in time. And there’s not a more beautiful time of year to drink in all her history and magnificent splendor than during the Christmas holidays when she is decked out to the nines.

Holidays at the Del this year are celebrating with the theme of “winter of whimsy, wishes and wonder.” Even the 21-foot inverted lobby tree decks the hall with fun and magical whimsy. Though there’s mixed opinion on what some visitors and locals see as a trendy millennial move, the inverted tree actually has its roots in the 7th century.

It’s widely believed that St. Boniface, an English Benedictine monk traveled to Germany to convert pagans and the triangular shaped tree was a way to introduce the Holy Trinity.

Others surmise the upside-down tree had a more practical meaning in the family home. Ornaments could be kept away from the hands of young children. Decorations made with cookies, wafers or berries would be out of reach of critters or pets.

Whatever the meaning, The Del’s two-story lobby tree has always been a highlight of the resort. Adorned with hundreds of twinkling lights and colorful ornaments, it’s always a highly-anticipated merry and bright tradition.

Thousands of glimmering white lights likewise cover the iconic red turrets of the main exterior building. Windsor Lawn is transformed into a spectacular outdoor ice rink providing an unforgettable “skating by the sea” experience. Skaters young and old with smiling faces glide to holiday music underneath swaying palms in a truly magical setting.

As one local resident said “Christmas without The Del isn’t Christmas.”

Today, old portraits of presidents, foreign dignitaries and stars still line the walls of its corridors and the Del continues to attract admiring guests—and always will.

This classy historic beachfront hotel has never forgotten its history. She is one of the grand old resorts of yesteryear, a not-to-be-missed American treasure with a storybook past.

If You Go:

The Hotel del Coronado is located just across the bay from downtown San Diego and only a 15-minute drive from the San Diego International Airport.

Address:
Hotel del Coronado
1500 Orange Ave.
Coronado, CA 92118

About the author:
Noreen Kompanik is a published freelance travel writer and photographer based in San Diego, California. She is a member of the ITWA and IFWTWA and shares many of her adventures, stories and photos on her website www.whatsinyoursuitcase.net and What’s In Your Suitcase? Facebook site.

All photos by Noreen Kompanik.