John Long's journal, 1768-1782

An English-born trader and interpreter recounts years living among Indigenous communities, detailing language learning, adoption into a Chippewa band, and seasonal fur-trading expeditions into the lakes and riverine interior. The narrative blends practical accounts of travel, canoe routes, and trading posts with observations of customs, material culture, and vocabularies of several native languages. It also describes military service paired with Indigenous allies, hazardous winters, clashes and rescues, and commercial successes and setbacks in the fur economy. Appendices include word lists and phrases, while the text situates daily survival, negotiation, and cross-cultural exchange on the northern frontier.