Caesars of the Wilderness: Medard Chouart, Sieur des Groseilliers and Pierre Esprit Radisson, 1618-1710

by Grace Lee Nute

During the period between the publication of Pierre Esprit Radisson’s Voyages by the Prince Society of Boston in 1885 and the appearance of Caesars of the Wilderness in 1943, scholarly journals and books were often enlivened by the historical controversy surrounding Radisson and his fellow explorer, Medard Chouart, Sieur Des Groseilliers. Often referred to as the “Radisson problem,” the controversy called into question almost every aspect of the two men’s lives, from the authenticity of parts of Radisson’s narrative to the exact itinerary the men followed in their travels.

 

The publication of Caesars in the Wilderness brought the historical debate to an end. Based on many years of research in repositories throughout France, England, and North America, the books, with its skillful presentation of new evidence, settled many of the questions that had long puzzled scholars.

386 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Historian and teacher Grace Lee Nute earned an A.B. in American literature from Smith College in 1917, an A.M. from Radcliffe College in 1918, and a Ph.D. in American history from Harvard University in 1921. Nute moved to Minnesota in 1921 and was the curator of manuscripts at the Minnesota Historical Society in St. Paul from 1921-46, and a research associate from 1946-57. She taught Minnesota history at Hamline University from 1927-60, conducted study courses for business women from 1930-34, was a lecturer on Minnesota history for the University of Minnesota Extension Division from 1948-52, was a visiting professor at Macalester College from 1956-59, and the director of the James J. Hill papers project for the Hill Reference Library in St. Paul from 1960-66.

Nute wrote manuals on collection preservation and organization and she pioneered the use of microfilm and photocopies to preserve manuscripts and make them more accessible to scholars. Nute also wrote books and articles on the fur trade and the exploration of Minnesota, including The Voyageur (1931) and Caesars of the Wilderness (1943). Nute was on the editorial board from 1957 on for The Naturalist, the Natural History Society of Minnesota magazine. She was a consultant for the Encyclopedia Britannica film Robert Cavalier, Sieur de la Salle (1950) and Chairman of the Clarence W. Alvord Memorial Commission, Mississippi Valley Historical Association from 1940-56. She received a Guggenheim Fellowship to fund research in Europe from 1934-35, an Honorary Litt.D. from Hamline University in 1943, a Ford Foundation grant in 1945, and an Award of Merit from the Western History Association in 1981.

Reviews

[Doug Adamson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book as a library discard about 25 years ago and have been looking at it on my shelf since then. This week was its week and I have finally put eyes to pages and have read the book. It was good but at times tedious. The treatment of Pierre Radisson is more extensive but that may reflect the fact that Radisson lived his final 25 years in Britain and wrote several accounts of his live and travels (granted that some of these writings were "lost" for two hundred years).