History of The Canadian Fur Trade One of the most prominent features of the Canadian Fur Trade has always been its intimate association with water, and Canada has lots of it!
Two fur traders travelling in a canoe on one of Canada’s rivers With long distances and no roads, the transport of heavy cargo by land was not possible. Therefore, the superhighways of the day were Canada’s river systems. River systems North America, and the continental divides that separate them
Arctic divide
2 Mackenzie
1 Laurentian 2 divide 6 3 1 6 St Lawrence 3 St. Lawrence Pacific divide 5 4 5 4 Mississippi Atlantic Before the arrival of the White man, many tribes of native people were Great divide scattered across the continent, each with Eastern different resources in their area and divide each with different needs The first fur-trading occurred between these native tribes
This took place for thousands of years before the arrival of any Europeans
cargo of furs and other trade goods Tribes of the Saint Lawrence River System The Montagnais and Algonquins were hunter gatherers living in colder regions where there were fur-bearing animals with thick, rich fur.
Montagnais Having no agriculture, these tribes often ran out of food and lived on the edge of starvation.* Algonquins The above tribes would trade their furs in exchange for food , Hurons with the Hurons who had agriculture, and often had excess food to trade
Iroquois On the other hand, these three tribes (Montagnais, Algonquins + Hurons) did NOT trade with the Iroquois who *This is graphically described by Rick curved lines indicate were their traditional enemies ! Revelle in his book “I am Algonquin” trade routes First well-documented trade with the White Men was with the Vikings about 1000 AD
Labrador
Newfoundland some records of trading furs with the native people Then 500 years later, John Cabot came from England in 1500
Claiming land for England
Claimed the land for England, but he was mainly interested in fishing on the Grand Banks rather than in the fur trade
The land itself was quite inhospitable, and he came ashore only to dry his fish drying fish 35 years later, Jacques Cartier came from France in 1536
r e i t r a C s e u q c a J
New France
Montreal
He travelled inland for three purposes: Cartier traded furs with natives but did 1) To claim land, not treat them well. He kidnapped the 2) Seeking a northern route to China chiefs and took them to France 3) To find animals for the Fur Trade. The animals used in the fur-trade included:
Sable Mink
Henry VIII with Otter Ermine Ermine Trim Furs were very popular in Europe as trim for garments of the rich. The most Important fur was the Beaver
1) outer Beaver guard hairs 2) soft inner fur Inner fur was obtained when a native person Two types of wore the garment with beaver fur beaver fur: the fur inside for a season. was used for Body movement and sweat beaver hats removed the outer guard hairs There was a craze for these hats in Europe where they were a “must-have” for all gentlemen! Making of a Beaver Hat
scrape inner making compress the wool into a then shape the felt layer into a hat fur off the hide beaver wool layer of felt
mad hatter at Alice’s tea party
mercury was often used in processing, sometimes causing neurological disease (i.e. “mad hatter” syndrome) Another Beaver product is Castoreum Another Beaver product is Castoreum
“Castorium” is a secretion produced by the beavers anal glands, and is used by the beaver to water-proof its fur and mark its territory. It has been used medicinally throughout history to cure mental illness, improve memory, and many other conditions It has an intense vanilla flavor with a “hint of strawberry” and is used today as an additive in ice cream, soft drinks, some alcoholic drinks such as Swedish schnapps, candy, and perfume. (Seriously !! ) 67 Years after Cartier, Samuel de Champlain came from France in 1603
Explored Montreal Georgian Bay and Lake Ontario Trading with Aboriginals
A cultured humanist, Champlain respected the aboriginals. He felt that they could be equal to or even superior to the White man, in spite of the fact that their sexual customs were very different and they were capable of great cruelty. He wanted to establish good long term relations between the French and the native tribes, and he sent his young men to live with the them and learn their languages and culture Viewing Georgian Bay Being a soldier, Champlain agreed to help the Algonquins fight their traditional enemy the Iroquois
Montagnais
Algonquin
Huron Champlain firing weapon at Iroquois
Iroquois
Unfortunately this caused the Iroquois to later team up with the British and fight against the French in the brutal “Beaver” wars 1610 -1763: Coureurs de Bois Explored Great Lakes, Upper Mississippi and Lake Winnipeg
North West
coureurs de bois
South
These traders included Radisson and Because beavers were easy to trap, and the white men Groseilliers, 1654-1660 wanted more and more furs, the animals became They heard from the natives about depleted in the St Lawrence region, and French a giant northern salt water lake next traders (called “Coureurs de Bois”) explored south of to the richest fur-bearing areas the great lakes and also north-west to Lake Winnipeg. And they realized that this lake must be Hudson’s Bay, which Henry Hudson had discovered in 1611
Then they had a brilliant idea !
“Why not take furs directly from Hudson’s Bay back to France, bypassing the long St Lawrence river and the hostile Iroquois?” They returned to Montreal with their idea along with many furs, but New France instead of being thanked, their furs were confiscated by the Iroquois Governor of New France for trading without a licence!! This made Radisson and Groseilliers very angry, so they said *** to New France and they travelled to England
There they met with Prince Rupert and then with his cousin King Charles II to whom they proposed their Hudson’s Bay fur-trading route.
Prince Rupert King Charles II
The king sent fur-trading expedition to Hudson’s Bay and it successfully returned with furs. The King then granted a charter to the “Company of Adventurers Operating out of Hudson’s Bay” in 1670 This charter granted to Prince Rupert the land drained by all the rivers flowing into Hudson;s Bay
o o York Factory o o
Was called Rupert’s Land The HBC set up trading posts (forts) along the shores of the bay The largest fort was York Factory, home of the Factor (i.e. a chief Trader)
York Factory 1670, Life on Hudson’s Bay -was awful !!
colder than Siberia in winter Infested with mosquitoes in summer
-traders’ houses were freezing in winter, even on inside, and they almost never bathed -they led a life of total isolation with one supply ship coming per year -but they were expected to live the formal life of English gentleman at all times -forts had strict discipline like theBritish Navy, and even had bells and whistles to announce meals, etc. -there was a strong hierarchy of different ranks of officers and their employees -the traders were encouraged to associate with the natives as little as possible -but there was lots of good food and alcohol -traders came to regard the HBC as their only family, and had tremendous loyalty to the Company Trading with the Natives Guns Ammunition Knives Hatchets Metal Pots Steel Traps and fish hooks Beads Tobacco Hudson’s Bay Blankets (made into clothing) Later came alcohol with its disastrous effects on native life and culture ! HBC Traders waited on the shore of Hudson’s Bay, and let the natives came to them to trade their furs at the York factory store Radisson and Groseilliers soon got sick of being in“Proper British Society” and went back to New France 1682-1763, New France before the Two things had happened: British conquest
2) French traders had pushed HBC north into Rupert’s Land, Rupert’s Land Here, they were competing with the HBC since they were trading with natives who would normally have taken their furs to the Bay NEW FRANCE
1) Lasalle had explored south to New Orleans in the 1880’s and claimed the land for France In 1763 the British conquered New France Rupert’s Land Rupert’s Land
NEW FRANCE fall of Quebec HBC was initially glad to be rid of the competition from the French traders, but then these were replaced by even more aggressive British traders who eventually formed the North West Company Fur Trade Route of North West Company (3000 miles long) Arctic divide
Mackenzie River Laurention Lake Athabasca divide
Grand Portage Montreal.
Lake Huron, Ottawa River Methy Portage Rainy River Lake Superior Mattawa River (Arctic Divide) Lake of the Woods Grand Portage Lake Nippissing Athabasca River Winnipeg River (Laurention Divide) French River Lake Athabasca Lake Winnipeg Georgian Bay Mackenzie River Saskatchewan River Churchill River North West Company had two classes of individuals
1). Voyageurs loading canoes at the 2. Traders Lachine starting point (called Bourgeois (near Montreal) by the voyageurs) Neat Fur Trade Museum at Lachine
head strap
Voyageur carried 180 pounds, or sometimes furs trade goods even more (up to 400 lb ! Voyageur flechée = with a red toque arrow pattern
ceinture flechée
ceinture flechée
red toque on a senior voyageur Voyageurs “en route” - Paddled 18hr/day from 3:00 am to dusk (9:00 pm) 7days/week! - Worked as hard as Roman galley slaves, but sang “off-color” songs all the way - These birchbark canoes were miracles of efficiency. They were light, but they were very fragile and tippy. - It was said that “You had to keep your tongue in the center of your mouth or the canoe would tip over!”
running hauling down canoe up rapids rapids
lazy bourgeois voyageurs paddling bourgeois voyageurs sitting in canoe ! in front in middle behind Portaging and its Occupational hazards
X anatomist demonstrating inguinal hernia
grave by trail
&%$%#
Back injury me carrying a Strangulated inguinal hernia heavy canoe (fatal without surgery) over a 5 km Heart attack portage in Algonquin park Drowning in rapids Attacks by bears, wolves, fishing or hostile Iroquois Overnight stop
9:00 pm to a 3:00 am wake up call ! sleeping under canoes
campfire with voyageurs telling “tall” stories (they never met a “small” bear or non “blood-lust” wolf).
Smoking pipe Transfer of Goods at Grand Portage
Western Half Eastern Half.
furs trade goods Lake Athabasca
Grand Portage Montreal.
grand celebration with feasting and music for three days “hommes de Nord” “mangeurs de lard” much more prestigious diet of cooked dried peas diet pemmican and bits of lard Recipe for Pemmican
1) Kill one buffalo 2) Dry Meat 3) Pound Meat 4) Dig hole in ground. Line with to shreds buffalo hide to make sack.
5) Put meat in sack and 6) Add melted 7) Dry to make pemmican (like jerky) add Saskatoon Berries buffalo Fat - portable and lasts forever! There were no White women present in the West, and many of the “wintering” traders took native Country Wives
Country Marriage Ceremony. The trader’s wife served as a guide, interpreter, and Trader often married one of important conduit for him into her Aboriginal tribe ! chief’s daughters In addition, his wife had all of her regular tribal duties !
Have and raise children gathering Prepare meals berries Clean tent Make and mend clothes, moccasins, and snowshoes Make thread and bowstrings (from animal tendons), knives, arrowheads and fish hooks (from bone) , tanning a hide and drinking vessels (from urinary bladder) Make fish nets and snares to catch birds Gather and chop firewood Grind Corn But it was not all bad: Catch, dry and smoke fish Help build and repair Women were quite powerful Gather berries in Summer birchbark canoes within their aboriginal tribes Make maple syrup in Spring Butcher animals killed Family lineage passed through daughters Put up and take down tents during a hunt Husband joined his wife’s family Haul toboggans in winter Stretch and tan hides Women chose new Chief of tribe and Carry all heavy equipment Make pemmican made the most important (in 140 pound packs!) “whew” Tribal decisions! In 1789-1808, the NWC explorers Mackenzie and Fraser expanded the fur trade: 1) north to the Arctic ocean, and 2) west to the Pacific ocean
1) Russian Traders Mackenzie 1789 arctic fox was prime animal The NWC traders arrived at the Pacific coast none Mackenzie too soon, because Russian 1793 and American traders were threatening to take over the 2) whole Pacific region! 1808Frazer 1808 American Traders 1690–1820, Fur-trade battles occurred between the HBC and NWC
NWC trader shooting
Trade routes of NWC and the HBC crossed in the north-west region -here the North West Company was intercepting many of the furs that the native people had been taking to the Hudson’s Bay Company
- To protect their furs, the HBC men finally had to leave the Bay and come out and fight! -There was fierce competition and violence for thirty years -But HBC had the big advantage because they could transport their furs to Hudson’s Bay in in just 40 days, while the NWC needed 5 months to transfer their furs to Montreal
In the end, the NWC simply could not compete, leading to the “Merger” (takeover) of the NWC and the HBC in 1820 In 1820, after the Merger, the HBC Empire = trading was at its height! posts
Rupert’s Land
No Entry !
The U.S. wanted to take the “West” from little Canada
Acknowledged that the presence of the HBC prevented this American take over, and saved the “West” for Canada Presence of HBC had a huge influence on the settlement of the Canadian West
2) Rupert’s Land 1) U.S.A.
HBC encouraged cooperation between the traders and In the lawless wild west, the aboriginals were the Aboriginals (who were their fur-trading partners) “in the way” of the American settlers, and the U.S. cavalry hunted them down in the “Indian wars” Law and order was maintained by RCMP (over 10,000 Whites and 30,000 natives were killed) The British (Scotch and English) Heritage of the Hudson’s Bay Company and Us American English Canada has had a strong Modest Boastful influence on our (typical) Cooperative Independent “Canadian” Personality Nice Guy Aggressive Obedient Rebellious Patient Demanding Soft-spoken Loud Mouth Shy Life of the Party Proper Uninhibited Cautious Adventurous Stoic Fun-seeking Colorless Flamboyant Frugal Big spenders Earns success by hard work “Wheels + Deals” Trusting Conspiracy Theories Monarchist Republican Strong Government “Live free or die” Respect for Authority “Oh sure” In 1820, after the incorporation of the North West Company, George Simpson became the HBC’s greatest Governor
bagpiper
He was the “consummate” bureaucrat who ruled the HBC with ruthless efficiency A small man, he was called “the little Bonaparte” due to his boundless ambition He had a passion for speed and drove the paddlers in his “express” canoe to go ever faster He loved to make surprise inspection visits to his various trading posts, arriving with pomp, ceremony, and even a bagpiper! Unfortunately, unlike Champlain, Simpson had a very low opinion of aboriginals and felt that they should be kept in a constant state of submission with a “rule of iron”
He was notorious for his treatment of aboriginal women. He called them his “bits of brown”, and it was claimed that he fathered 70 children! Native women Later in life he married his cousin in England and and brought her to live in Rupert’s Land
From then on the old “Country Marriages” fell into disrepute. Traders insisted on marrying white women, Simpson’s wife and racial tensions increased In 1867, Confederation created the “Dominion of Canada”.
Canada then purchased Rupert’s Land from the Hudson’s Bay Company. In return it gave the HBC money plus an enormous amount of real estate, (i.e. all the lands around their trading posts and 20% of all the fertile land in the whole West!)
Western Rupert’s Canada Land
before purchase after purchase 1867, Settlement of the West
Immigrants came mainly from: Europe
Canada
Immigration was slow at first due to poor transportation
Canoe York Boat Red River Cart on land (replaced canoes) But then “Steam” Changed Everything !
First Steam Engine Thomas (for pumping mine water) Newcomen in 1712
First Steam First Steam Ship in 1807 Locomotive in 1802
first HBC Steamboat on First Train in Rockies in 1886 and the old canoe Brigades were gone Saskatchewan River in 1874 into the mist…. forever…. 1867 onwards: Decline of the Canadian fur trade
Due to several reasons: 1) Fashions changed: Beaver hats were replaced by silk hats, leading to a collapse of the beaver trade
2) The buffalo disappeared
3) Most importantly…..the disappearance of the buffalo allowed Western settlers to take over the land for farming.
Settlers were the “mortal enemy of the fur trade” and Canada would be changed forever!. As a harbinger of these coming changes, there emerges in our story……a new giant personality
Donald Smith driving in the last spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway in British Columbia In 1838, Donald Smith immigrated from Scotland to Montreal
Donald Smith
He was not from a wealthy family, but his uncle had been had been a chief trader for the HBC, and Smith had a “Letter of Introduction” to Montreal Society Smith’s exile to the remote North ! Smith started in Montreal as a lowly clerk counting muskrat skins in a HBC warehouse But he used his letter of introduction to mix with the “important” Montrealers Here he attracted the interest of the young wife of the HBC Governor George Simpson, who was always away on inspection tours! They had a relationship which was probably-harmless,,,,,
But Simpson was furious about this “indiscreet behavior”, and he banished Smith to a remote Trading Post at the Northern Tip of Labrador for three decades !!
- During this time, - Smith became - a successful - Chief trader, - but he always - wanted to return - to the - “society life” - of Montreal
with the Aboriginals At long last, in 1869, Smith was recalled back to Montreal, and financially he “hit the ground running” !
He had saved all of his back pay over the years and had accumulated $50,000.
He had also regularly bought Bank of Montreal shares, and quickly became the Bank’s second largest shareholder.
Then through a dazzling sequence of commercial transactions in the following years, he became most powerful Canadian of his day and the Montreal richest man in the whole British Empire ! mansion
Donald Smith (Lord Strathcona) In one amazing financial coup, for a trifling $250,000, Smith and his partners purchased a bankrupt and incomplete St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Manitoba Railway which, after 10 years of minimal construction, stock manipulation, and insider trading, became worth a cool 60 million !
bankrupt and incomplete
He then invested his profits to become one of the founders of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
The building of this ”impossible” railway was a very risky venture, but five years later, in one of the epic feats of railway history, the CPR was finished, and Smith drove in the last spike! Feeling that “to rest is to rust”, Smith ruthlessly pursued his financial career throughout his long lifetime
Thus, in 1905, Smith was
Governor of the Hudson’s Bay Company President of the Bank of Montreal President of the Royal Trust Director of the Canadian Pacific Railway London’s favorite President of Anglo-Persian Oil (Future British Petroleium) colonial character Chancellor of McGill University Knighted by Queen Victoria to become Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal and Canada’s High Commissioner to Britain
All at the age of 85 ! Queen Victoria In 1913, Smith died at age 93
Feeling that it was “a sin for a Scotsman to die rich”, he was a very generous benefactor, especially to McGill University.
There were very mixed reviews on his death: Strathcona Medical Building For his recipients, Smith was a saint…a man of “unspotted integrity who uplifted Canada”
But by others he was accused of “endless manipulation and unethical business practices”
Peter C. Newman called him “the most intriguing rogue in Canadian commercial history and certainly the most successful !” What about Smith’s leadership of the Hudson’s Bay Company?
Although he ultimately became its Governor for 25 years, Smith had little interest in the long-term welfare of the HBC
He dismissed the fur trade as a doomed enterprise run by men too stubborn or ignorant to accommodate themselves to their fates. HBC A betrayed HBC fur trader called him “the worst enemy the Company ever had and was running it into the ground”
Smith believed that only future for the HBC was in selling its land, and as the major shareholder he intended to profit from this until it sold its last acre.
He was also making a fortune from the Canadian Pacific Railway, especially after land prices skyrocketed! Yet he never encouraged the Hudson’s Bay Company to play any role in this venture.
So while the Hudson’s Bay Company “hibernated” under Smith’s leadership, …and here’s where I started a the CPR became the dominant force in Canada’s Western development rumor about you retiring and in the evolution of Canada’s modern economy ! One obvious future for the HBC lay in Retail selling, but Smith had little interest in this field. He did not encourage the building of modern stores and the existing stores were very poorly managed.
Thus the HBC fell well behind innovative competitors such as Eatons
Hudson’s Bay in 1906 Eaton Mail Order Eaton’s in 1904 Catalogue in 1904 From then until today….
In the 105 years since Smith’s death in 1914, the Hudson’s Bay Company has adapted to the modern era, but it’s been a slow and painful process with many ups and downs
In 1970, the HBC finally expanded its retail operations from the West into Eastern Canada by purchasing Morgans in Montreal and then Freimans in Ottawa two years later.
Morgans Freimans Today in 2019, the Hudson’s Bay Company is a RETAIL GIANT (owned by the New York-based NRDC Equity Partners)
It operates 480 stores, including…
Hudson’s Bay Company” TopShop (in Great Britain) (90 stores), Vroom and Dreesman Annual Sales of 14.4 billion Home Outfitters (in Netherlands) Assets of 12.2 billion (2018) Lord and Taylor Galeria Kaufhof” (in Germany) Employs over 60,000 people Saks Fifth Avenue Galeria Inno (in Belgium) Sacs off Fifth Since 2000, in order to compete with e-commerce giants like Amazon, the HBC has also become increasingly involved in online Selling where you can buy “everything” on thebay.com (Its a whole new world…!) What about the Bay’s fur business ?
How many people have own or have owned a fur coat? Today’s Ethical Question: Should we “Go Vegan” and end the use of all animals for food, clothing, leather for shoes, etc. ?
meat+dairy leather+wool
farmed mink The choice is sometimes difficult !!
Would you prefer or
Steak ?? Kale ?? And in the case of fur, there is perhaps a substitute
Fake Mink Real Mink Fur Coats Fur Coat What is the position of the Hudson’s Bay Company ?
!n 1976, the Canadian multi-billionaire Ken Thomson bought the HBC. He was passionate about his dog Gonzo and all other animals ! He hated the fur trade and considered it an unnecessary anachronism in today’s world
1987, Under Thomson’s influence, the Hudson’s Bay Company closed all of its “Northern Stores” and severed all ties to the fur trade. In the meantime the HBC still sells the “Hudson’s Bay Collection” (blankets, accessories, canoes) to remind us of its fur-trade heritage
But now the emphasis now is on everything but furs
menswear cosmetics jewelry So, after 350 years, and many changes, the HBC appears to be a retail success story.
But there’s one small thing they changed that I just can’t forgive!
-something they discontinued other than their connection with the fur trade………… The wonderful chocolate frosted malted milk drinks they once sold in in the basement of Freimans and then in The Bay !!
“a little bit of heaven”
Dutch saying… Quotes from “Lost Ottawa”
“The Rideau Center Bay had a chocolate malt shop on the basement floor, but now they’ve replaced the whole thing with a Godiva counter!”
“I am soooooo disappointed as I used to buy malted milk shakes there all summer long for years!” Have we seen the death of the “Classic Malted Milk Shake” that was served at any soda fountain in the 1950’s ?
chocolate malted Is this a sad chapter in our history…? milkshakes Or have times simply changed….?
Now a Malted Milk Shake is a Tim Horton’s Latte ! Dad…!!! Get with today’s program So, at the end of this talk, did you really think that we would be discussing malted milk shakes ? Well, just as the malted milk shake has “disappeared”, the Canadian fur trade, our founding industry, is perhaps disappearing as well. However, as the Greek philosopher Heraclitus said in 500 B.C. “the one constant thing in life is change”, and our current task is to acknowledge the important role played by fur-bearing animals and the fur trade in our country’s history, and at the same time to understand that tastes and ideas evolve with time.
The End