voyageur

plural voyageurs

1. historicalA trader, particularly in furs, who worked (and explored) in the area of Canada and the northern United States from the 16th to early 19th centuries; they were often of Quebecois extraction.

   The powers of the Canadian voyageurs and hunters in the consumption of meat strike the greenhorn with wonder and astonishment; and are only equalled by the gastronomical capabilities exhibited by Indian dogs, both following the same plan in their epicurean gorgings.

   1847, George Frederick Augustus Ruxton, Adventures in Mexico and the Rocky Mountains, page 267

   Synonyms: canoeman, engagee