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Fur Trade

The fur trade in Canada began because people in Britain and France wanted furs to wear as clothing. Explorers came to Canada and started trading with Indians and trapping their own animals for furs. The Europeans would trade things like guns, knives, cooking pots and pans, and clothing, with the Indians, for furs. The most popular fur in Europe was from the beaver. Beaver furs were called "pelts."

The Hudson Bay Company and The North West Company competed to see which could get the most furs and make the most money. This competition for furs opened up the Canadian west because traders had to keep going further west to get more furs. The first recorded visit, to what is now Alberta, by a European trader happened in 1754-55. The fur trader's name was Anthony Henday.

Artist Conception of Fort Victoria.

Artist Conception of Fort Victoria.

Blackfoot Confederacy chiefs at Fort Macleod, Alberta, 1875.

Blackfoot Confederacy chiefs at Fort Macleod, Alberta, 1875.

Shell beads and pieces of copper.

Shell beads and pieces of copper.

Trade Room at Fort Whoop-Up.

Trade Room at Fort Whoop-Up.

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Christmas at the Fort


The Beginning of The Fur Trade