French Axe Types

When looking at all the various merchant records and invoice for the fur trade during the New-France period in North American, one has to wonder how many various types of axes were traded or transported to the interior along side the French trade axe.  We know that many axes destined for the trade were manufactured either in Europe, in the St.Lawrence colonies and at various forts or outposts in the interior.

Here we have a canoe invoice for the "Rainy Lake Post" from 1741.   Giasson & Chappeau had, among many other things of course, a pretty revealing axe list.  What is important here is that this invoice shows several styles and prices on the same list. This indicates that these axe types each had a distinct feature, size, weight and price.

• 6 Duty (service) axes @ 7 livres 42" 0" 0"
• 67 Trade axes  100 @ 40 s 200" 0" 0"
• 13 Biscayans  " together with the above @ 40 s" " "
• 119 Tomahawks @ 30 s 178" 0" 0"
• 9 Dagger-tomahawks @ 40s 18" 0" 0"

I will attempt in this section to provide additional information on each axe type using various period accounts, invoices or references to archeological artifacts that match up to one specific type of axe.  Please be aware that this is only a preliminary and unconfirmed report attempting to link up documented French context artifacts to each axe type listed above.  Unless one had a period document with pictures and descriptions for each axe type used in New-France for trade or local use in the colonies, we cannot prove this with certainty but rather with reasonable doubt.

Here is somewhat of a base timeline that I have created for the different type of axes trade during the French regime. (graphic below created by web site author). *If anyone has any other references to earlier known documented axes of these types, please feel free to email me so that I can re-adjust this timeline accordingly.

Under construction
Under construction	Under construction
	Under construction