In France and Québec I was told many times that English/Canadian/US explorers and traders/trappers often 'walked in the steps' of French/Québécois coureurs des bois (woodrunners). For instance Sacagawa being married to Toussaint Charbonneau, who thus preceded Lewis and Clarke, etc.
My question is, what was really the role of French speaking explorers and fur traders in North America ? And do you think modern historiography is fair with regard to their importance (or lack thereof)?
Is it allowed in this sub to page a user? If so, I have /u/TheAlaskan in mind when asking this question, should they want to answer. If not, please delete this comment and have my apologies... :)
P.s. I used Reddit search feature before asking, but found no results at least on mobile.