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Post by spence on Feb 1, 2020 17:39:34 GMT -7
The fur trade was a 19th-century, western, mountain man endeavor, right? Not necessarily. Very soon after Fort Duquesne was captured from the French in 1758 a trading post was set up at what would be Fort Pitt. Most people would be surprised and amazed at the very large fur trade which quickly developed. Here is the link to a ledger for the year June 1759 to June 1760 showing in detail the furs brought for trade by the Native Americans and a few white men, and the goods they traded for, item by item. It's called the Fort Pitt Waste Book. It's not easy to decipher, but I found it worth the effort, very educational. digital.library.pitt.edu/islandora/object/pitt%3A31735061278424/viewer#page/1/mode/2upSpence
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Keith
City-dweller
Bushfire close but safe now. Getting some good rain.
Posts: 990
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Post by Keith on Feb 1, 2020 20:12:32 GMT -7
More on the fur trade. The fur trade began in the 1500's as an exchange between Indians and Europeans. The Indians traded furs for such goods as tools and weapons. ... The earliest fur traders in North America were French explorers and fishermen who arrived in what is now Eastern Canada during the early 1500's. www.montanatrappers.org/history/fur-trade.htmThe Economic History of the Fur Trade: 1670 to 1870 Ann M. Carlos, University of Colorado Frank D. Lewis, Queen's University Introduction A commercial fur trade in North America grew out of the early contact between Indians and European fisherman who were netting cod on the Grand Banks off Newfoundland and on the Bay of Gaspé near Quebec. Indians would trade the pelts of small animals, such as mink, for knives and other iron-based products, or for textiles. Exchange at first was haphazard and it was only in the late sixteenth century, when the wearing of beaver hats became fashionable, that firms were established who dealt exclusively in furs. High quality pelts are available only where winters are severe, so the trade took place predominantly in the regions we now know as Canada, although some activity took place further south along the Mississippi River and in the Rocky Mountains. There was also a market in deer skins that predominated in the Appalachians. More information here: woodsrunnersdiary.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-fur-trade.htmlKeith.
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Keith
City-dweller
Bushfire close but safe now. Getting some good rain.
Posts: 990
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Post by Keith on Feb 1, 2020 20:36:58 GMT -7
The fur trade was a 19th-century, western, mountain man endeavor, right? Not necessarily. Very soon after Fort Duquesne was captured from the French in 1758 a trading post was set up at what would be Fort Pitt. Most people would be surprised and amazed at the very large fur trade which quickly developed. Here is the link to a ledger for the year June 1759 to June 1760 showing in detail the furs brought for trade by the Native Americans and a few white men, and the goods they traded for, item by item. It's called the Fort Pitt Waste Book. It's not easy to decipher, but I found it worth the effort, very educational. digital.library.pitt.edu/islandora/object/pitt%3A31735061278424/viewer#page/1/mode/2upSpence Many thanks for this link Spence, well done! Keith.
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