So what was the big deal?
Well, these hats were the
rage in Europe. As we know,
they were made from beaver
pelts.
This lithograph shows the first public sale of beaver
pelts in Europe. Notice the fine clothing of the
“gentlemen” present; no poor people allowed!
Fashion was what drove the whole fur trade and led
to the exploration of the West. This is a picture of
17th century clothing worn by men (with money).
This is 18th century wear
HBC Fashion….
Then and Now
VS.
19th Century
clothing
Approx.
1940’s/1950’s
Finally, somewhat blurry, but this is 2000 style
clothing for men
This is the “famous
HBC coat” (brutal
colours) that was
revived a few years
ago.
VS.
18th Century
17th Century
VS.
Early 20th Century
19th Century
Early 20th Century
Today, the Bay's mission statement is to be
"Canada's leading fashion department store". The
women's wear division has developed into a
multi-million dollar business emphasizing brands
such as Liz Claiborne, Jones New York, DNKY,
Ellen Tracy, Guess, Levis, Nygard and Elite
VS.
Cartier, of course, was
one of the first to
explore the East Coast of
what is now Canada.
However, it was the man in
the red above (Charles II)
who gave his cousin Rupert
the land that became known
as “Rupert’s Land”. Rupert
(to the right) then leased it to
the Hudson’s Bay Company.
“All the rivers
draining into the
Hudson Bay” and the
lands surrounding
these rivers was
known as Rupert’s
Land.
The North West Company was formed in 1783 by fur traders from
Montreal. Many of the Nor'westers (as they were known) were former
coureurs de bois. After the French lost New France to Britain in the Seven
Years War, they had nobody to work for. Others were young men who had
come from Scotland to join the fur trade.
Hudson's Bay Company faced fierce competition from the North West
Company. Both companies wanted to control the fur trade. As a result, a
bitter rivalry developed. By the 1800s the two sides were at war with each
other. It was a fur trade war.
In order to control the fur trade, it was important to find new
trading partners. Soon both companies sent out people to
explore and find new sources of fur. This meant traveling in
unknown wilderness both on dangerous rivers and difficult
land routes.
Howard Kelsey trading with Eskimos
Alexander Mackenzie discovering the
Pacific
Howard Kelsey
(an explorer)
seeing the buffalo
on the plains for
the first time.
There were two fur-trading
networks. One route was along
the Ottawa and St. Lawrence
River. The other was the Hudson
Bay route. The Hudson's Bay
Company used the Hudson Bay
route in the north, which was a
better route. The Nor'westers
used the one in the south to
Montreal.
The Nor'westers and the Baymen would
sometimes use any means to win
control of the fur trade. They destroyed
each other's boats and forts. They tried
to bribe the other company's traders and
offered more money for the furs. Some of
the men even used violence and
murder to get more fur.
The two sides fought each
other from the 1780s until
1821. Both companies
were spending all their
money and energy
competing with each other.
The war was ruining both
companies, but the North
West Company weakened
the most - especially after
the Battle of Seven Oaks.
The text below comes from the
Albany Fort America Journal of 1706:
Remains trading goods as per
balance of last year’s Account
154 powder horns
430 lbs powder
144 painted boxes
8477 lbs shot
83 tobacco boxes
149 kettles and
79 pair ditto tongs
21 pans
8108 pewter
221 lbs beads
buttons
1/8
2
lbs vermillion 78 ice chisels
96 lbs red lead
14 scrapers
1/2
60
lb thread
71 leather looking
glasses
78 guns: 52 of 4
12 tin shoes
foot and 26 of
440 haws bells
41/2 foot long
67 iron wire
15 pistols
handcuffs
15642 flints
24 horns for men’s
6 sword blades
heads
29 bayonets
24 pairs yarn gloves
308 fire steels
37 pairs cargo
breeches
691 worms
03/4 yards
700 needles
broadcloth 50 yards
baize
The beaver pelt became a currency. There
were even tokens made. Items to be
traded were measured against the value of
a beaver pelt. HBC established a system
that calculated how much one "made"
beaver pelt was worth compared to other
furs and goods. HBC traders and
Aboriginal hunters and trappers would
each try to get more than the standard
allowed.
SuppliesValue of Supplies in Beaver Pelts
2.25 kg of sugar
1 beaver pelt
1 gun
12 beaver pelts
2 scissors
1 beaver pelt
20 fish hooks
1 beaver pelt
1 pair of shoes
1 beaver pelt
In general, beaver pelts were worth a lot more than
other pelts. Below, is a small table showing the
values for some species.
Beaver Pelts Other Pelts
1 equals...2 otters
1 equals...2 foxes
1 equals...1 cat
1 equals...1 wolf
2 equals...1 moose
1 equals...1 black bear
1 equals...2 deer
This is a made beaver pelt
and it was worth its weight
in gold, literally.
A view of a trading
post located along
the Hudson Bay.
The Native Peoples were the key to successful
trading. Therefore, their customs were much
respected, including the smoking of the peace pipe.
This is a painting showing a fur brigade portaging
or going around a set of rapids and falls. It was
very hard work and only the young/strong
survived.
One of the many fur
brigades going
through a fairly
shallow river. Most
voyageurs did not
have horses and
used large canoes
instead.
The NWC had its headquarters in Montreal which is
where their fur brigades left in the spring.
A fur sorting room with a “grader” of
furs working.