North American fur trade

Common card · No. 213898

The North American fur trade is the historical commercial trade of furs and other goods in North America between the 16th and 19th centuries, beginning in the eastern provinces of French Canada and the northeastern American colonies (eventually the United States). The trade was initiated mainly through French, Dutch, English and Scottish settlers and explorers in collaboration with various First Nations peoples of the region, such as the Wyandot-Huron and the Iroquois; ultimately, the fur trade's financial and cultural impact would see the industry quickly expanding across the continent from the Atlantic to Pacific coast of Canada and into more continental United States and Alaska. The fur trade led to unions between Indigenous women and settler men and is linked to the origin of mixed-ancestry populations and the ethnogenesis of Métis communities in some areas. Competition in the trade, especially for the European market, led to various wars among Indigenous peoples aided by various European...

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