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Radisson
Radisson observes the Iroquois as their adoptive captive in Trois- Rivieres. -
Radisson
Radisson takes part in the Jesuit mission to the Onondaga. -
Radisson and Des Grosseiliers
Médard Chouart des Groseilliers takes Pierre-Esprit Radisson on an unlicensed expedition of Lake Superior and Lake Michigan. -
Voyageurs
During the fur trade, these men were French Canadians who transported many furs by canoe. -
Radisson and Des Grosseiliers
The two men sail to England to find a "sponsor" to fund their plan of bypassing the St. Lawrence River, in order to reach an interior region. -
Early in the Fur Trade
After funding from England, the Eaglet and the Nonsuch were sent to sea. -
Coureurs de Bois
These men were unlicensed fur traders of New France. Despite penalties from the church and authorities, over 500 of these men were on Lake Superior attempting to surpass the First Nations middlemen. -
Trading License System
New system is implemented to to set voyageurs apart from the coureurs de bois. -
Saskatchewan River Fur Trade
The Saskatchewan River was a major route for transportation of resources. The First Nations people used this for thousands of years. The main trade route of the fur trade followed the North Saskatchewan River and was south of “beaver country”. The forest provided the beaver pelts, the grasslands provided food. -
Indigenous People
In many cases, the Indigenous people did most of the trapping. This is how they made a living. They sold their furs to the Hudson Bay Company, the North West Company, and the American Fur Trade. -
Small Pox
The British trade blankets that have been exposed to small pox to the Indigenous groups. Many believe this was an attempt at “germ warfare”, but there is no way to know if this was intentional or traded unknowingly. -
David Thompon
The "greatest land geographer who ever lives."
Thompson was one of the successful mappers of the 17th century, as he had mapped more territory than any other European. -
The North West Company
The North West Company was a fur trading business that competed against the Hudson Bay Company. Eventually, the two companies were forced to merge by the British. The company was in business from 1779 to 1821. -
Pacific Fur Trade
Jacob Astor sets sail from New York with 33 employees of his new fur trade company. The group of men establish the town of Astorin and start trading their furs with the First Nations people.
This was America's first major move involvement in the fur trade. -
Nearing the End
The Canadian government begins signing treaties with Indigenous people, which claimed the territory of the West. This opened up settlement and development in these areas, pushing traders further North. -
The End of the Fur Trade
As the demand for furs dwindled significantly in Europe, there was a problem of excessive trapping. The fur trade is technically still active, but not in a significant way. It carried on into the 20th century, but was considered finished after the second World War.
