P4801

Scenic American Landscapes

Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota

Collins Cover Announcement 

Voyageurs National Park

80¢ Airmail Stamp

This National park is located in the northern reaches of Minnesota which is a land of many lakes and rivers amid beautiful woodlands. It was here and throughout the upper portions of North America that attracted the coureur des bois known to us as the French Voyageur. Taking advantage of the thriving fur trade, these hearty French-Canadian woodsmen traveled westward and in most cases were the first Europeans to make contact with Native Americans in Canada and the extreme north country of America like Minnesota and the Great Lakes region.

My individually hand painted cachet is a beauty and really captures this period in our history. Two voyageurs paddle their canoe — the main means of transportation in the early fur trade — on a homeward journey. The success of their trip is apparent as evidenced by the large quantity of pelts. I've placed a symbolic beaver on shore watching the two men pass by only concerned about getting home after their long and hard trip. As always, I've tried to provide details that enhance the cachet such as the lashings of the canoe, the colorful French hats and familiar pipe, and a stand of white birches that are so prevalent in the northland. Most importantly, I capture the pristine raw beauty in lovely watercolors of the waterways and forests of what is now one of our treasured parks. A cover that brings back a bygone time of exploration and rugged individualism. A time of the coureur des bois. Voyagers National Park — Collins #P4801 at $14.50.