THE EARLY FUR TRADECoureur de Bois & The Exploration of Canada

BIG QUESTIONS

What was traded in the Fur Trade?

Who benefitted from it?

How did the Fur Trade help expand New France?

FURS: THE REASON FOR IT ALL

Furs were such a desirable commodity in Europe that they were what made settlement in Canada profitable

All early settlement was done by private monopolies on behalf of France

Private Fur Trapping was made illegal

While initially producing furs was the main goal of settlement, the governments of the colony eventually found it a necessary nuisance

Wanted to shift towards agriculture, but furs were more profitable

HATS & THE FOUNDATION OF CANADA

Fur hats became very trendy in Europe starting in about the 1550’s into the 1800’s

Beaver was the most desirable for hat making

Felt was made from Beaver pelts through the use of mercury

“Mad as a Hatter”

Variety of styles existed from 3 Corner Hats to top hats

Felt was a very flexible material which made it ideal

COUREUR DE BOISTo explore the continent, and to learn about France’s trading partners Samuel de Champlain sent a group of young men to live with the surrounding First Nations

Called Coureurs de Bois

These men learned how to survive in the wilderness & began exploring westward

They would spend the year trapping furs, and trading with 1st Nations, before return to Quebec to sell what they’d caught for a profit

Most of their trapping was illegal as it broke the monopoly of the companies in New France

Predeccessors to the Voyageurs

ETIENNE BRULE Probably the most famous of the Coureur de Bois

He came out with Champlain on his first expedition

Lived with the Wendat People for several years and learned their way of life

He then acted as a guide and interpeter for Champlain

Eventually began exploring the interior of Canada becoming the first European to explore the Great Lakes

Was banned from New France after the Jesuits and Champlain felt he had become too “savage” after adopting the Wendat way of life

Brule returned to the New World working for England and acted as a guide for the English force that captured Quebec

Spent the rest of his life living among the Wendat

TRADE GOODS

Europeans traded a variety of good to the First Nations peoples but popular items included

Iron tools & Axes

Beads/ Decorative Glass

Firearms & Blackpowder

Copper Kettles

Blankets

Alcohol & Tobacco

First Nations largely traded fur, usually beaver

EFFECTS ON FIRST NATIONSThe fur trade did have a positive effect on the First Nations in some way

They were equal trading partners who gained goods that helped them live comfortably

Beads, glass & iron tools led to a huge increase in the production of First Nations’ art

However, it also had often unintended negative effects

The fur trade spread diseases

It also created an alternative economy that corroded the First Nations traditional way of life

Hunted the Beaver almost to extinction in Eastern Canada

DRIVING NEW FRANCE WEST

The fur trade also played the key role of pushing Europeans westward across Canada

Coureur de Bois were the first as they set out looking for furs beyond the reach of the colonial government

However, as the beaver population out East are reduced, everyone has to move West in search of better stock

Over time New France establishes a series of forts all across the Mid-West

The companies themselves begin moving west, and using fur brigades of voyageurs to move furs back to Quebec

LOOKING AHEAD: COMPETITION

As the fur trade became more profitable it would see greater competition between Europeans, especially between England & France

The Hudsons Bay Company representing England will provide heavy competition for the French North-West Company

Both private companies will play a major role in exploring and settling Canada

CONCLUSION

The fur trade played a central role in the providing the French a reason for settlement in Canada

It established long term relations between the French & First Nations peoples

It was key in driving French westward expansion