the french fur trade begain in canada in the 17th century.
the french fur trade begain in canada in the 17th century.
when did the french fur trade began in canada?
17th century
the north american fur trade began as early as the 1500s with europeans and first nations and was a central part of the early history of contact between europeans and the native peoples of what is now the united states and canada. in 1578 there were 350 european fishing vessels at newfoundland. sailors began to trade metal implements (particularly knives) for the natives' well-worn pelts. the first pelts in demand were beaver and sea otter, as well as occasionally deer, bear, ermine and skunk.
fur trade
marriage also became an important aspect of the trade in both the ohio river valley and the french "pays d’en haut" with the temporary closing of the french fur trade from 1690 to 1716 and beyond. french fur traders were forced to abandon most posts and those remaining in the region became illegal traders who potentially sought these marriages to secure their safety. another benefit for french traders marrying indian women was that the indian women were in charge of the processing of the pelts necessary to the fur trade. women were integral to the fur trade and their contributions were lauded, so much so that the absence of the involvement of an indian woman was once cited as the cause for a trader's failure. when the french fur trade re-opened in 1716 upon the discovery that their overstock of pelts had been ruined, legal french traders continued to marry indian women and remain in their villages. with the growing influence of women in the fur trade also came the increasing demand of cloth which very quickly grew to be the most desired trade good.
midwestern united states