Chapter 4: Part 3The English Fur Trade

Pages 86 - 87

Focus Question: In what ways was the English fur trade different from the French fur trade?

• Unlike the French, the English were not interested in creating a colony in what is now Canada.

• In 1670, the English king granted a charter for control of the fur trade to the privately owned Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC).

• The British had only one main goal – to make money.

• This impacted the relationship between the English fur traders and the First Nations trappers.

Why Hudson Bay?

• The English built their forts along the icy shores of Hudson Bay. There were some advantages to this location:

• It was close to the abundant fur supply. Northern fur are better because animals grow thicker fur in the coldest climates.

• Many rivers flow in Hudson Bay. They provided good transportation routes for the First nations trappers.

• Large supply ships could deliver heavy supplies directly to the English forts. The French route involved both a sea voyage by ship to Montreal, and lengthy journey by canoe to reach the furs. The HBC could get furs to England in one year, while the French took two.

Biography: Isabel Gunn

• Isabel Gunn’s boyfriend, John Scarth, travelled from Scotland to Canada to work for the Hudson’s Bay. Gunn followed him in 1806 but there was one problem – women were not allowed!

• For two years she disguised herself as a man named John Fubbister and worked for the Hudson’s Bay. No one even suspected she was a woman, until she gave birth to a baby. Her baby was the first baby non-aboriginal child born in the Northwest.

Case Study: Life at a Hudson’s Bay Company Trading Post

• The English liked to trade for furs at their posts. Most posts were forts which were surrounded by a stockade – a wooden barrier with upright posts.

• The First Nations did not like this change – they preferred the fur traders to come to them.

• The HBC built many trading posts that served as warehouses for trade goods, supplies, and ammunition. Employees came from Britain to live and work in the posts for years at a time.

• The traders soon learned how helpful the nearby First Nations could be in running the posts.

• The First Nations people soon learned how that they could earn a good living working at the forts

• The First Nations men cut wood, hunted big game, and loaded and unloaded goods.

• The women also played key roles, especially in making snowshoes, moccasins, canoes, and pemmican.

• Everyone worked together for the benefit of the fort.

• Nonetheless, the English still found life at fort harsh. One trader at York Factory described it as “nine months of winter, followed by two months of mosquitos”

Think it Through! Page 87

Click icon to add picture

Using a chart like the one on the right, answer the following question:

What are the similarities and differences in the English and French fur trades. Which trading style

did the First Nations prefer? Do you think one method was superior to the other?

Characteristics of the French fur trade

Characteristics of both English and French Trades

Characteristic of the English Fur Trade

Think It through: AnswersCharacteristic of the French Fur Trade

Characteristic of Both English and French Trades

Characteristics of the English Fur Trade

Based in New France Based in England

Travelled to First Nations to trade

Used the barter system to trade fur for goods

Required First Nations to bring furs to English forts

Travelled by canoe from Montreal to the Rocky Mountains

Travelled by canoe from Albany Factory to the Rocky Mountains

Used canoes extensively Sent furs to Europe by ship

Used canoes, but not extensively

Challenges: long canoe routes

Challenges: travel over long distances, winter survival, competition for furs

Challenges: isolation in the north

Worked closely with the First Nations; learned each other’s languages, intermarried and created Metis people

Depended on First Nations for knowledge of geography, canoes, food, medicine, furs and clothing

Did not work closely with First Nations