Fur Trade History

The Canadian Fur Trade began when the French, new to the land, offered the natives of the land French goods such as kettles, knives, and other gifts, to create friendships; the natives gave the French fur pelts in exchange (Barbour 4). The fur trade “fostered the interchange of knowledge, technology, and material culture,” created a solid foundation for military alliances, and helped form new cultures and cultural identities (Foran 2). It was a way for the people of New France to keep alliances with the Aboriginal people against their common southern enemies, the British (Foran 22). The fur trade was the start of Canada and the life for people there, especially voyageurs. The fur trade shaped the economic, political, and social aspects of

They obtained furs and maintained the interior of the trading posts (Nute 1). The men built the trading posts, cut shingles, made canoes, fished, hunted among having other various responsibilities (Nute 2). The occupation of voyageur, created by Samuel de Champlain, took lessons from the indigenous tribes (Tanner 21). The profession attracted 5,000 voyageurs on average throughout the United States and Canada in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries (Nute 1). The dress, customs, and vocabulary, as well as a collection of songs, of a voyageur were unique to that group of men (Nute 2). All of the voyageurs were practically the same in every way (Tanner 32). The only difference between the men was their reason for accepting fur-trade contracts. Some of the men wanted to settle debts, others wanted to help their family with their farm incomes, and yet others wanted to escape life in the St. Lawrence River Valley (Foran 16). The voyageurs were responsible for the safe delivery of furs as well as determining the price and quantity of furs obtained from the native suppliers (Nute 2). Many voyageurs created the alliances with the natives to help their company get furs from those tribes and to help the governments negotiate more effectively (Nute 2). The French-born merchants were the most successful because of their connections to

Several Scottish merchants created the company by pooling their assets and energies. More partners became part of the firm within the next dozen years (Tanner 23). Every year, the company functioned smoothly on strict schedules. A summer rendezvous at Grand Portage, the trade focal point on the north shore of Lake Superior, began and ended each year of operations (Tanner 29). The Scots quickly secured their advantage against the men of the Hudson’s Bay Company by outflanking them (Tanner 28). “The North West Company rose to imperial wealth and power” (Tanner 29) around the beginning of the 19th century, staying the top fur trade company for 15 years (Tanner 42). Soon, the company had 2,000 traders, clerks, and other employees working for them (Tanner