Fur, Fortune, and Empire: The Epic History of the Fur Trade
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Fur, Fortune, and Empire: The Epic History of the Fur Trade
Fur, Fortune, and Empire: The Epic History of the Fur Trade in America. Eric Jay Dolin. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, July 12, 2010. 442 pages. $29.95 (cloth).
Fur, Fortune, and Empire: The Epic History of the Fur Trade in America is a sweeping work of history that showcases the vital role the fur trade played in the colonization and expansion of the United States. Most of us think of Canada or perhaps the north woods of Maine or Minnesota when we think of furs. Few realize that the fur trade was a key factor in the survival of the Pilgrims and Puritans of Massachusetts, the Dutch in New York, and of the early settlers of the Mid-Atlantic States. The Puritans in particular were so assiduous in their pursuance of the fur trade that for a time all Europeans were referred to as “Boston Men” by their Native American trading partners.
Eric Jay Dolin relates many of the familiar horrors and injustices of our relations with the native inhabitants, including the introduction of diseases, firearms, and alcohol. But he also sheds light on many little known facts that give a far more nuanced picture of the intercourse between two vastly different cultures. It’s now taken as an article of faith that European settlers cheated the Indians out of vast wealth by trading trinkets for valuable furs. But iron fishhooks, pots, and tools were of immense value to members of a Stone Age culture, especially when all they needed to provide in exchange were pelts from a seemingly limitless supply. As for wampum and beads, they were a medium of exchange for the Indians of no less intrinsic value as gold was to the settlers, and therefore seemingly a bargain when traded for surplus pelts.
This book demonstrates how the Native American culture grew to be dependent on European trading goods, and was transformed accordingly. The common perception of Indians living in harmony with nature before the advent of the white man was perhaps true. But it’s also true that the near extermination of many North American fur bearing animals, with the exception of the buffalo, was accomplished primarily by Indians in pursuit of trade goods. The slaughter was initiated at the behest of the settlers to be sure, but it was perpetrated primarily by Indians. It wasn’t until the widespread use of the leg hold trap allowed western mountain men the option of easily killing their own prey that this equation started to substantially change.
The author recounts an anecdote that illustrates just how destructive alcohol was to the Native American culture. Indian women learned from experience to hide all weapons of any kind from their men on the eve of a trading conference with the settlers. If the men received alcohol as compensation for furs, they would often drink until fighting broke out. This would frequently prove serious or fatal if weapons were at hand. Perhaps there is a history lesson here as our society debates “open carry” legislation allowing firearms into bars and restaurants.
The early exploration of the west was primarily driven by the quest for furs. Gold, silver, and farmland were later factors that attracted succeeding waves of settlers to the west. But it was the beaver’s misfortune that their pelts were perfect for the making of felt hats, then in high fashion in Europe, and they are what attracted the earliest inhabitants. The eastern beaver was nearly extirpated by now, so after the Louisiana Purchase the western beaver drew the mountain men who in turn discovered the passes and trails that enabled subsequent settlers to reach the coast. And it was the fabulous wealth to be gained by trading the sea otter and seal pelts to Asia that enticed many of the early sailors to the Pacific Coast. They charted the coastline and out competed the British, Spanish, and Russians for control of the fur trade, nearly wiping the sea otter off the face of the earth in the process.
The final depressing chapter of the monumental environmental disaster known as the North American fur trade involved the near extinction of millions of buffalo for their fur, for sport, and as a means to deny sustenance to the remaining Indians still at war with the white man. The size of the herds and the animals themselves, the numbers of so many wanton participants, and the vast wastage of so much potential food left to rot on the prairie, all contribute to a bleak commentary on human nature and our seeming inability to control our quest for wealth.
The fur trade illustrates the folly of unregulated market capitalism operating in the realm of renewable resources. The rallying cry of the American fur trade during the “Age of Extermination” was “Get the furs while they last.” This led to fabulous wealth for a few, like John Jacob Astor, and limited wealth for a limited time for relatively few more. In the end it led to extinction of the animals and therefore the trade. A properly managed fur trade that harvested a percentage of animals each year would have insured a steady livelihood and limited wealth in perpetuity, and protected the many species that were threatened or extinguished. This principle was demonstrated by Canadian fur trappers during the same time frame. The Canadians would trap a stream for a season and then move on to a different stream for two years before coming back. This insured a constant renewal of animal population and consequently a never ending source of revenue. It now appears that humanity is on the brink of repeating our fur trade disasters with ocean overfishing. The earlier decimation of whales, the recent collapse of our cod fisheries, and the impending Bluefin tuna crisis seem to indicate that we are forever condemned to repeat the mistakes of history. Farmed shrimp and salmon will play the same role that farmed mink play in the modern fur industry due to the fact that they will have almost disappeared from the wild.
Fur, Fortune, and Empire: The Epic History of the Fur Trade in America is a fascinating, informative, and well written history. It should be read by anyone interested in exploration, colonialism, the history of New England, the expansion of the west, capitalism, environmentalism, or American History in general. If you are like me you will learn a lot about a topic you may have thought you already knew. And you will be entertained while you are informed, which doesn’t get much better for the general reader.
Stephen Donnelly is a consultant for the insurance industry and a Westfield State College alumnus.
Fur, Fortune, and Empire: The Epic History of the Fur Trade in America is a sweeping work of history that showcases the vital role the fur trade played in the colonization and expansion of the United States. Most of us think of Canada or perhaps the north woods of Maine or Minnesota when we think of furs. Few realize that the fur trade was a key factor in the survival of the Pilgrims and Puritans of Massachusetts, the Dutch in New York, and of the early settlers of the Mid-Atlantic States. The Puritans in particular were so assiduous in their pursuance of the fur trade that for a time all Europeans were referred to as “Boston Men” by their Native American trading partners.
Eric Jay Dolin relates many of the familiar horrors and injustices of our relations with the native inhabitants, including the introduction of diseases, firearms, and alcohol. But he also sheds light on many little known facts that give a far more nuanced picture of the intercourse between two vastly different cultures. It’s now taken as an article of faith that European settlers cheated the Indians out of vast wealth by trading trinkets for valuable furs. But iron fishhooks, pots, and tools were of immense value to members of a Stone Age culture, especially when all they needed to provide in exchange were pelts from a seemingly limitless supply. As for wampum and beads, they were a medium of exchange for the Indians of no less intrinsic value as gold was to the settlers, and therefore seemingly a bargain when traded for surplus pelts.
This book demonstrates how the Native American culture grew to be dependent on European trading goods, and was transformed accordingly. The common perception of Indians living in harmony with nature before the advent of the white man was perhaps true. But it’s also true that the near extermination of many North American fur bearing animals, with the exception of the buffalo, was accomplished primarily by Indians in pursuit of trade goods. The slaughter was initiated at the behest of the settlers to be sure, but it was perpetrated primarily by Indians. It wasn’t until the widespread use of the leg hold trap allowed western mountain men the option of easily killing their own prey that this equation started to substantially change.
The author recounts an anecdote that illustrates just how destructive alcohol was to the Native American culture. Indian women learned from experience to hide all weapons of any kind from their men on the eve of a trading conference with the settlers. If the men received alcohol as compensation for furs, they would often drink until fighting broke out. This would frequently prove serious or fatal if weapons were at hand. Perhaps there is a history lesson here as our society debates “open carry” legislation allowing firearms into bars and restaurants.
The early exploration of the west was primarily driven by the quest for furs. Gold, silver, and farmland were later factors that attracted succeeding waves of settlers to the west. But it was the beaver’s misfortune that their pelts were perfect for the making of felt hats, then in high fashion in Europe, and they are what attracted the earliest inhabitants. The eastern beaver was nearly extirpated by now, so after the Louisiana Purchase the western beaver drew the mountain men who in turn discovered the passes and trails that enabled subsequent settlers to reach the coast. And it was the fabulous wealth to be gained by trading the sea otter and seal pelts to Asia that enticed many of the early sailors to the Pacific Coast. They charted the coastline and out competed the British, Spanish, and Russians for control of the fur trade, nearly wiping the sea otter off the face of the earth in the process.
The final depressing chapter of the monumental environmental disaster known as the North American fur trade involved the near extinction of millions of buffalo for their fur, for sport, and as a means to deny sustenance to the remaining Indians still at war with the white man. The size of the herds and the animals themselves, the numbers of so many wanton participants, and the vast wastage of so much potential food left to rot on the prairie, all contribute to a bleak commentary on human nature and our seeming inability to control our quest for wealth.
The fur trade illustrates the folly of unregulated market capitalism operating in the realm of renewable resources. The rallying cry of the American fur trade during the “Age of Extermination” was “Get the furs while they last.” This led to fabulous wealth for a few, like John Jacob Astor, and limited wealth for a limited time for relatively few more. In the end it led to extinction of the animals and therefore the trade. A properly managed fur trade that harvested a percentage of animals each year would have insured a steady livelihood and limited wealth in perpetuity, and protected the many species that were threatened or extinguished. This principle was demonstrated by Canadian fur trappers during the same time frame. The Canadians would trap a stream for a season and then move on to a different stream for two years before coming back. This insured a constant renewal of animal population and consequently a never ending source of revenue. It now appears that humanity is on the brink of repeating our fur trade disasters with ocean overfishing. The earlier decimation of whales, the recent collapse of our cod fisheries, and the impending Bluefin tuna crisis seem to indicate that we are forever condemned to repeat the mistakes of history. Farmed shrimp and salmon will play the same role that farmed mink play in the modern fur industry due to the fact that they will have almost disappeared from the wild.
Fur, Fortune, and Empire: The Epic History of the Fur Trade in America is a fascinating, informative, and well written history. It should be read by anyone interested in exploration, colonialism, the history of New England, the expansion of the west, capitalism, environmentalism, or American History in general. If you are like me you will learn a lot about a topic you may have thought you already knew. And you will be entertained while you are informed, which doesn’t get much better for the general reader.
Stephen Donnelly is a consultant for the insurance industry and a Westfield State College alumnus.
