The Fur Trade |
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| The fur trade
was fueled by a European clothing fashion for beaver-felt
hats and exotic furs and by men looking for fame through
exploration and fortune from the sale of beaver skins.
The North American fur trade was started by men from
fishing ships stopping to trade with the natives. The
supply of beaver had been exhausted in Europe. North
America was seen as a new source of wealth because of the
quality and quantity of beaver and other furs. In the
beginning all the harvesting of fur was done by the
natives. After the French and English traders had been in
the interior for some time, free men (voyageurs who had
quit the fur trade but stayed and lived with their native
families), began to harvest fur. After 1800 which was the
beginning of the Rocky Mountain fur trade, companies
started hiring men for the purpose of trapping beaver.
After about 1840, the fur trade came almost to an end
because the fashionable thing in Europe was to have a hat
made from silk. The fur trade:
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One such man, known as a free trapper, going by the name of Jackal,wrote a letter to a friend back east in the White Oak winter of 1798.
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| If you
would like to ask a question or hear back from the
White Oak Fur Post and, free trapper,the Jackal send your question or comment to us. We will do our best to
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The
fur trade was an important part of the economic
and political development of North America. It
stimulated exploration of the continent and
provided a source of income that was important to
many early colonial businesses. Because of the
fur trade, the native peoples of the continent
became involved in a global market for the first
time. Native peoples were key to the development
and continuation of the fur trade. When they were
no longer available or interested in
participating, it became harder to keep the fur
trade going. 
