Furs Along The Yukon Summary

Kenneth Coates, author of Furs Along the Yukon: HC-Native Trade in the Yukon River Basin examines and explores the Fur Trade of the Yukon River Basin before the Klondike Gold rush in pursuit to analyze the early economic development of Yukon. Coates furthermore attempts to question the native-European exchange in one of the last regions of initial contact between aboriginal residents and Europeans in North America. It was believed that the miners and the Herschel Island whalers impacted the fur trade, varying the customary demands of the natives and transformed the native economy and HBC, and Americans, whom didn’t have significant impact of the structure and content of the fur trade. The Natives recognized their own necessity to trade and

However, they declined to explore no further than the West and was supposedly alleged from the Indians attack. HBC did not want to violate on Russian property or create a path from the pacific inland for other competitors to use. Competition increased when competitors gained access to resources and created alliances and trading partners to further develop and expand their industry. Natives inferred rivalry with the Russian Fur Company spreading mistruths of them coming closer to where HBC’s outpost was. This generated positives and negatives for natives in their trade influence and request were dealt with quickly and in demand for short supply goods. Nevertheless, HBC refused to lower tariffs or prices due to the anticipated profit. The Natives were able to manufacture competition for 15 years before HBC began sending ships down stream to Trade which cut out the Kutchin’s middle man status. In 1893, HBC removed themselves from the area and Americans, whalers and soon to be miners all brought distinctive products to the natives that were previously forbidden. The Natives exploited competition as they always purchased goods cheaper from the Americans after US purchased Alaska and competition traders quickly settled