5 Phases of the Fur Trade
Phase 1: The Early Fur Trade 1500 - 1603
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Phase 2: Expansion Inland 1603 - 1670
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French-Haudenosaunee War
Catholic Missionaries Established Missions
Environmental Issues
- Haudenosaunee were supported by the Dutch & British in hopes of overthrowing the French
- Haudenosaunee beat the Wendat in 1649. The fur trade lost its ‘middleman’ with the defeat.
- Loss of the Wendat left opportunities for the Coureurs de Bois, but their activities were views as illegal by the gov’t of New France
- Haudenosaunee had to seek truce with the French & Anishinabe in 1701 (“Great Peace of Montreal”)
Catholic Missionaries Established Missions
- Jesuits tried to convert First Nations (especially the Mi’kmaq, Ouendat, Kichesprini, Innu, and Anishisnabe) to Christianity
- Most First Nations were not interested in Christianity but converted to help trade alliances
Environmental Issues
- Intense hunting & trapping began to reduce the population of game, especially beavers
- As food & game became scarce, people moved west
Phase 3: Rival Networks 1670 - 1760
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Voyageurs
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Metis
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Phase 4: The Drive West 1760 - 1821
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Northwest Company
Pemmican Trade Developed
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Territorial Expansions Occurred
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Phase 5: Monopoly in the West 1821 - 1870
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