Fur trade facts for kids
The fur trade is a worldwide business. It involves buying and selling animal fur. People have traded furs for thousands of years. Furs were used for warm clothing and as a sign of wealth.
Before Europeans came to the Americas, Russia was a main supplier of fur. They sold furs to Western Europe and parts of Asia. The fur trade in North America was very important. It shaped the early history between Europeans and Native Americans in the United States. It also shaped the history between Europeans and First Nations in Canada.
The North American fur trade lasted for about 250 years. This long period can be split into three main parts:
- The "French Era" from 1600 to 1760. Many French traders, called Coureur de bois, explored and traded.
- The "British Era" from 1760 to 1816.
- The "American Era" from 1816 to 1850. Famous figures like John Jacob Astor were involved.
Contents
The Russian Fur Trade Story
Before the Americas were explored by Europeans, Russia was a huge supplier of animal furs. They sold furs to Western Europe and parts of Asia. Fur was a major Russian export. This trade grew in the Early Middle Ages (around 500-1000 AD). Furs were first sent by sea through the Baltic Sea and Black Sea. Later, railways helped Russia trade through the German city of Leipzig. The trade stopped suddenly around 1950.
Russia first exported raw furs from animals like martens, beavers, wolves, foxes, squirrels, and hares. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, Russians moved into Siberia. This region was rich in many animals. These included Arctic foxes, lynxes, sables, sea otters, and stoats (also called ermines).
Russians searched for the valuable sea otter. Its fur was first used in China. Later, they also looked for the northern fur seal. This search led the Russian Empire to expand into North America, especially Alaska. From the 17th to the mid-19th century, Russia was the world's biggest fur supplier. The fur trade was key to developing Siberia and the Russian Far East. It also played a big part in the Russian settlement of the Americas. Even today, sable is a symbol for some Russian regions.
North American Fur Trade History
The discovery of North America by Europeans changed the fur trade. The continent had huge forests and lots of wildlife. The beaver was especially important. In the 17th century, North America became a major source of fur pelts. These furs were used to make fur-felt hats and fur clothing in Europe. Furs were very important for warmth before coal was widely used for heating.
In 1578, about 350 European fishing boats were near Newfoundland. Sailors started trading metal tools, especially knives. They traded these for the natives' well-worn animal skins. The most wanted furs were beaver, sea otter, and later, buffalo. Sometimes, deer, bear, ermine, and skunk furs were also traded.
Beaver fur robes were blankets made from sewn-together beaver pelts. These were called castor gras in French and "coat beaver" in English. Hat makers soon realized these pelts were great for making felt hats. This was because the top hair was worn away, showing the valuable under-wool. By the 1580s, beaver wool was the main material for French felt hats. English hat makers also started using it soon after.
How the Trade Began
Captain Chauvin made the first organized effort to control the fur trade in New France. In 1599, he got a special right from Henry IV of France. This right gave him a monopoly, meaning he was the only one allowed to trade furs. He tried to start a colony at the mouth of the Saguenay River.
French explorers like Samuel de Champlain and Pierre-Esprit Radisson looked for routes across the continent. They built relationships with Native Americans. They expanded the trade of fur pelts. Europeans traded common items for valuable furs. Winter animal pelts were highly desired for warmth. Beaver fur was especially prized for felt hats. These hats were a costly status symbol in Europe. The demand was so high that beavers in Europe had almost disappeared.
In 1613, Dallas Carite and Adriaen Block led trips to trade with the Mohawks and Mohicans. By 1614, the Dutch were sending ships to get rich from the fur trade. The Dutch fur trade, through the port of New Amsterdam, relied on a trading post called Fort Orange (now Albany). Much of the fur there was believed to be smuggled from Canada.
England was slower to join the American fur trade. But once English colonies were set up, furs became the best way for colonists to send value back to England. Furs were sent from Virginia soon after 1610. The Plymouth Colony sent a lot of beaver furs to London in the 1620s and 1630s. London merchants also tried to take over France's fur trade in the St Lawrence River. In 1629, Sir David Kirke captured Quebec and took the year's furs back to London.
The English fur trade entered a new phase in 1668. Two French traders, Radisson and Groseilliers, had great success trading west of Lake Superior. But when they returned to Canada, their furs were taken by authorities. They believed the best fur areas were far north and west. These areas could be reached by ships sailing into Hudson Bay. They went to London and found English investors. In 1668, two ships were sent. One, the Nonsuch, reached Hudson Bay. It traded with natives and brought back many beaver skins.
In 1670, the Hudson's Bay Company was created with a royal charter. This gave them a monopoly to trade in all rivers flowing into Hudson Bay. From 1670 onwards, the company sent ships yearly. They brought back furs, mostly beaver, and sold them. Beaver furs were mainly for English hat makers. Fine furs went to Holland and Germany.
In the English southern colonies, the deerskin trade began around 1670. It was based in Charleston, South Carolina. Native hunters learned that Europeans would trade pelts for desired goods. These goods included axe heads, knives, cloth, blankets, kettles, jewelry, and muskets.
European traders made huge profits. For example, one beaver pelt could be traded for a metal axe head. That same pelt could buy dozens of axe heads in England. This made the fur trade very profitable for European nations. Natives also benefited. Metal axe heads replaced stone ones, which took a lot of work to make.
Social and Economic Connections
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The fur trade often had political benefits too. It helped form alliances and keep good relations between different cultures. Fur traders were often young, single men. They used marriages to build diplomatic ties. Marriages and relationships between Europeans and First Nations/Native Americans became common. Traders often married or lived with high-ranking Indigenous women. Their children developed their own culture, called Métis. These groups formed a two-level society. Descendants of traders and chiefs became important. Lower-class descendants formed a separate Métis culture based on hunting and farming.
Because of the wealth involved, European governments competed for control of the fur trade. Native Americans sometimes chose which side to support in wars. They picked the side that offered the best trade goods honestly. Trade was so politically important that it was often regulated. This was to prevent unfair practices. However, some traders cheated natives by giving them alcohol during trades. This caused anger and often led to violence.
In 1834, John Jacob Astor retired. He had created the American Fur Company, a very large American fur trading company. He saw that fur-bearing animals were becoming scarce. More European settlements pushed native communities from good hunting grounds. Demand for furs also dropped as European fashion changed.
The lifestyles of Native Americans changed due to the trade. To keep getting European goods, they often had to sell land to settlers. Their anger over forced sales led to future wars.
After the United States became independent, it regulated trade with Native Americans. This was done through the Indian Intercourse Act, first passed in 1790. The Bureau of Indian Affairs gave licenses to trade in the Indian Territory. This area was mostly west of the Mississippi River.
Early exploration parties were often fur-trading trips. Many of these trips were the first time Europeans reached certain parts of North America. For example, Simon Fraser was a fur trader who explored much of the Fraser River.
The Fur Trade Today
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Today, there are about 80,000 trappers in Canada. This is based on trapping licenses. About half of these trappers are Indigenous peoples.
Maritime Fur Trade
The Maritime Fur Trade was a fur trade system based on ships. It focused on getting furs from sea otters and other animals. These furs came from the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast and natives of Alaska. The furs were mostly sold in China. In return, traders got tea, silks, porcelain, and other Chinese goods. These goods were then sold in Europe and the United States.
The Russians started the maritime fur trade. They worked east from Kamchatka along the Aleutian Islands to Alaska. British and Americans joined in the 1780s. They focused on what is now the coast of British Columbia. The trade grew very quickly around 1800. A long period of decline began in the 1810s.
As the sea otter population decreased, the trade changed. It found new markets and goods. But it still focused on the Northwest Coast and China. This trade lasted until the mid to late 19th century. Russians controlled most of Alaska's coast. South of Alaska, British and American ships competed fiercely. The British Hudson's Bay Company joined the coastal trade in the 1820s. They aimed to push the Americans out. This happened by about 1840. In its later years, the trade was mostly run by the British Hudson's Bay Company and the Russian-American Company.
Historians use the term "maritime fur trade" to tell it apart from the land-based fur trade. The land-based trade was done by companies like the North West Company. Historically, it was called the "North West Coast trade."
The maritime fur trade connected the Pacific Northwest coast to a huge new international trade network. This network was centered on the North Pacific Ocean. It was based on capitalism but not mostly on colonialism. A triangular trade network formed. It linked the Pacific Northwest coast, China, the Hawaiian Islands, Britain, and the United States.
The trade greatly affected the Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest coast. These included the Aleut, Tlingit, Haida, Nuu-chah-nulth, and Chinook peoples. There was a quick increase in wealth among these natives. But it also led to more warfare, slaving, and a drop in population due to diseases. The importance of totems and traditional noble symbols grew. However, the Indigenous culture was not destroyed. It thrived while also changing quickly. The use of Chinook Jargon started during this time. It is still a unique part of Pacific Northwest culture.
The most profitable furs came from sea otters. Especially valuable was the northern sea otter. Its fur was less prized from the Californian southern sea otter. After the northern sea otter was hunted to almost extinction, traders moved to California. There, the southern sea otter also became nearly extinct.
British and American traders took their furs to the Chinese port of Guangzhou (Canton). They worked within the Canton System. Furs from Russian America were mostly sold to China through the Mongolian town of Kyakhta. This town was opened to Russian trade by a treaty in 1727.
Images for kids
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Fur trading at Fort Nez Percé in 1841.
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Fur Traders Descending the Missouri, around 1845.
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Sketches of life in the Hudson's Bay Company territory, 1875.
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Two Sleighs on a Country Road, Canada, around 1835–1848. This image shows different fur items.
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Russian fur traders from Alaska built their largest settlement in California, Fort Ross, in 1812.
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See also
In Spanish: Comercio de pieles para niños
