The Fur Trade Era in BC 1770s-1849

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The Fur Trade Era in BC1770s-1849

• BCFNS 12
• Ms. Inden

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First Nations Trade
Nuxalk-Dakelh Grease Trail
http//158.130.17.5/myl/languagelog/archives/MacK
enzieRoute.jpg

• Remember that First Nations traders were already
  established in North America and traded many
  goods between themselves before the Europeans
  came along- including furs

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Who were the Europeans?

• The Europeans were representatives of countries
  in Europe that were looking for a sea route to
  Asia
• Spain, Britain, France, Russia and others
• They wanted the trade goods they could get in
  Asia
• These countries were also in strong competition
  with each other to become rich and powerful
• They built their wealth and power by taking over
  parts of the world and making money from the
  resources they found there This idea is called
  IMPERIALISM

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Imperialism Build an Empire
FRANCE and GREAT BRITAIN
MOTHER COUNTRY
TAKES OVER A COLONY
TAKE OVER what will become CANADA
Use as a source of raw materials (food, gold,
metals, wood) to send back to mother country
They use it a source of raw materials (furs,
fish, wood) to send back to mother country
Use raw materials to make money and to create
products to sell back to the colonies
Use raw materials to make money and to create
products to sell back to the colonies
Colony buys goods from mother country
Colony buys goods from mother country
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You cant really see the map very well, but you
can see from the purple lines that ships were
sent out to explore and take over territory
This is Europe
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The Age of Exploration 1490s-1800s

• The northwest region of North America (British
  Columbia, Oregon, Washington) was one of the last
  areas to be explored by the Europeans
• It was a difficult area to get to over land
  they had to face the Rockies, while at sea, they
  had to round South America rough seas!

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• Explorers came by land as well as by sea
• By sea
• Juan Perez
• Cook
• Vancouver
• By land
• Mackenzie
• Fraser
• Thompson

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Arrival of Europeans

• Europeans came from two directions with
  interesting trade goods that made the lives of
  First Nations easier
• Guns
• Iron
• An intense period of trade began between First
  Nations and Europeans

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The Role of First Nations people

• Europeans depended upon First Nations communities
  and individuals for guiding, carrying mail,
  supplying food for daily survival and trapping
  the animals for furs

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The Pacific

• The Spanish, British and the Russians were the
  early explorers of the Pacific Northwest
• Spain claimed the Pacific for itself, but England
  argued that they should visit a place before
  claiming it for themselves
• Very little thought was put into the people who
  already owned the territory

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Early contact

• Perhaps Spanish explorer Juan de Fuca reached
  Vancouver Island by 1592 no evidence
• Russia had colonized the Aleutian Islands by
  1770s and were headed south
• Spanish send spies to see how far south the
  Russians had made it
• This led to the first recorded contact between a
  BC First Nation and Europeans

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Juan Perez and the Haida Gwaii - 1774

• Perezs ship was too big to put in at shore, but
  the Haida sent a boat out to meet with them and
  brought trade goods
• Weather forced him to leave shortly after this,
  and he did also put in at Yuquot (Nootka Sound)
  on the west coast of Vancouver Island with the
  Nuu-chal-nulth
• He noted they had copper and iron goods showing
  trade goods had made it over the Rockies

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Captain Cook - 1778

• Four years later, another explorer landed - again
  at Yuquot (Nootka Sound)
• Captain Cook from England was in charge of this
  expedition
• Read p. 65

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Importance of Cooks visit

• Cooks ships left with 1 500 sea otter pelts
• While Cook never made it home (he died in
  Hawaii), news of the rich area of furs and the
  fantastic profit to be made was spread by his
  officers
• They also took a tree used for a mast
• The race for furs and timber - was on

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Imperialism Build an Empire




Use as a to mother country
They use it to mother country
Use raw materials to to sell back to the
colonies
Use raw materials to sell back to the
colonies
Colony country
Colony country