APRIL 4, 1846

ODAWA FUR MERCHANT MAGDELAINE LA FRAMBOISE DIED

Born in 1780 at Mackinac Island (Mack. Is.), Madaleine was raised in her mother’s Odawa village near current-Grand Haven, Michigan (MI). At age 14, she married a fur trader with whom she had 2 children. Speaking French, English, Odawa & Chippewa fluently, she assisted her husband in negotiations. Together, they owned trading posts in western MI. In 1806, after her husband was killed, Madeline took on the business. Madame LaFramboise, as she was known, supervised collecting the furs in the winter and their spring shipment to Mack. Is. She also expanded her business throughout MI’s lower peninsula. Earning many times what an experienced fur trader earned, she educated her children in Montreal. For several years, she successfully competed with John Jacob Astor’s American Fur Company. In 1818, having amassed a fortune, she sold out to Astor and retired to Mack. Is. Working with clergy, she supported the first school for Native American children there. La Framboise died on Mack. Is.

Sources:

“Madeline La Framboise,” History of American Women.  Retrieved 11/27/2022, Madeline La Framboise | History of American Women (womenhistoryblog.com)

Wikipedia

Photo:  Author unknown, likely pre-1900.  House of Madeline La Framboise on Mackinac Island. Likely Public Domain; if not, Fair Use.