what new mexico settlement was headquarters for the fur trade

Full Answer

Where did the fur trade lead to colonization?

Historically the trade stimulated the exploration and colonization of Siberia, northern North America, and the South Shetland and South Sandwich Islands . Today the importance of the fur trade has diminished; it is based on pelts produced at fur farms and regulated fur-bearer trapping, but has become controversial.

What is the North American fur trade?

North American fur trade. A fur trader in Fort Chipewyan, Alberta in the 1890s. The North American fur trade was the industry and activities related to the acquisition, trade, exchange, and sale of animal furs in North America.

Who was involved in the fur trade in Mexico?

On the Pacific coast, the fur trade mainly pursued seal and sea otter. In northern areas, this trade was established first by the Russian-American Company, with later participation by Spanish/Mexican, British, and U.S. hunters/traders. Non-Russians extended fur-hunting areas south as far as the Baja California Peninsula .

What happened to the fur trade in New France?

The fur trade was restored in 1715, and although colonial officials in New France tried to curb the emigration of young Frenchmen into the Great Lakes region, these efforts bore no fruit. This particularly bothered officials in New France because the coureurs de bois usually sold their furs to English traders at Albany.

Where was the center of the fur trade?

The fur trade was a vast commercial enterprise across the wild, forested expanse of what is now Canada. It was at its peak for nearly 250 years, from the early 17th to the mid-19th centuries.

What nm settlement was headquarters for the fur trade?

At Grand Portage Bay, near places of Indian settlement, the British North West Company built the headquarters from which it dominated the North American fur trade in the late 1700s.

Who settled in New Mexico first?

New Mexico was first settled ten millennia ago, by Pueblo Indians who built cities and sophisticated irrigation systems. Pueblo ruins are found throughout the state.

What was the most important early Spanish settlement in New Mexico?

Villa Nueva de Santa FePeralta was told that San Gabriel, the capital, was too far removed from the centers of population so in 1610 he founded Villa Nueva de Santa Fe. This was the first Spanish settlement in New Mexico and it became the focus of most activity during the seventeenth century.

What was the first Spanish settlement in New Spain?

In 1493, during his second voyage, Columbus founded Isabela, the first permanent Spanish settlement in the New World, on Hispaniola.

When was nm settled?

July 4, 1776New Mexico / Date settled

What was the settlement in New Mexico?

More than 50 years after Coronado, Juan de Oñate came north from the Valley of Mexico with 500 Spanish settlers and soldiers and 7,000 head of livestock, founding the first Spanish settlement in New Mexico on July 11, 1598. The governor named the settlement San Juan de los Caballeros.

What is New Mexico known for?

New Mexico is known for its stunning landscapes and diverse array of attractions. From its beautiful caves and blue corn pancakes to the first atomic bomb test site and famous chili peppers, there's something for everyone in this unique state.

What was the Spanish settlement of Santa Fe founded upon?

Built upon the ruins of an abandoned Tanoan Indian village, Santa Fe was the capital of the “Kingdom of New Mexico,” which was claimed for Spain by Francisco Vasquez de Coronado in 1540.

What effect did the fur trade have on New Mexico's population?

Fur trade increased New Mexico's population. It was very fertile.

Why is the San Juan de los Caballeros settlement important?

San Juan de los Caballeros was the first European capital of New Mexico and according to Spanish documents existed well into the 17th century.

Why did the Spanish settle in Santa Fe?

Spain decided to support a colony at Santa Fe to convert Indians to Catholicism and to keep other European powers out of the region.

Who started the fur trade?

The fur trade started because of a fashion craze in Europe during the 17th century. Europeans wanted to wear felt hats made of beaver fur. The most important players in the early fur trade were Indigenous peoples and the French. The French gave European goods to Indigenous people in exchange for beaver pelts.

How did the fur trade contribute to the foundations of the economy in North America?

The fur trade industry contributed to the foundations of the economy of New France by being the primary employer and means by which the colony was able to grow. Merchants, Coureurs de bois, Voyageurs, First Nation and Métis traders/middlemen all relied on the fur trade to make a living.

What established the final borders of the lower 48 states?

In 1853, the Gadsden Purchase added about 30,000 square miles of Mexican territory to the United States and fixed the boundaries of the “lower 48” where they are today.

What replaced the fur trade?

Animal rights organizations oppose the fur trade, citing that animals are brutally killed and sometimes skinned alive. Fur has been replaced in some clothing by synthetic imitations, for example, as in ruffs on hoods of parkas.

Who organized the first attempt to control the fur trade in New France?

General map of the "Beaver Hunting Grounds" described in "Deed from the Five Nations to the King, of their Beaver Hunting Ground," also known as the Nanfan Treaty of 1701. Captain Chauvin made the first organized attempt to control the fur trade in New France.

When did the fur trade start?

The North American fur trade began as early as the 1500s with Europeans and First Nations and was a central part of the early history of contact between Europeans and the native peoples of what is now the United States and Canada. In 1578 there were 350 European fishing vessels at Newfoundland.

How did the Muscovite tribe get furs?

The primary way for the Muscovite state to obtain furs was by exacting a fur tribute from the Siberian natives, called a yasak. Yasak was usually a fixed number of sable pelts which every male tribe member who was at least fifteen years old had to supply to Russian officials. Officials enforced yasak through coercion and by taking hostages, usually the tribe chiefs or members of the chief's family. At first, Russians were content to trade with the natives, exchanging goods like pots, axes, and beads for the prized sables that the natives did not value, but greater demand for furs led to violence and force becoming the primary means of obtaining the furs. The largest problem with the yasak system was that Russian governors were prone to corruption because they received no salary. They resorted to illegal means of getting furs for themselves, including bribing customs officials to allow them to personally collect yasak, extorting natives by exacting yasak multiple times over, or requiring tribute from independent trappers.

Why was fur so popular in Europe?

Fur was in great demand in Western Europe, especially sable and marten, since European forest resources had been over-hunted and furs had become extremely scarce. Fur trading allowed Russia to purchase from Europe goods that it lacked, like lead, tin, precious metals, textiles, firearms, and sulphur.

How did England help the fur trade?

England was slower to enter the American fur trade than France and the Dutch Republic, but as soon as English colonies were established, development companies learned that furs provided the best way for the colonists to remit value back to the mother country. Furs were being dispatched from Virginia soon after 1610, and the Plymouth Colony was sending substantial amounts of beaver to its London agents through the 1620s and 1630s. London merchants tried to take over France's fur trade in the St Lawrence River valley. Taking advantage of one of England's wars with France, Sir David Kirke captured Quebec in 1629 and brought the year's produce of furs back to London. Other English merchants also traded for furs around the Saint Lawrence River region in the 1630s, but these were officially discouraged. Such efforts ceased as France strengthened its presence in Canada.

What is the fur trade?

The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued. Historically the trade stimulated the exploration and colonization of Siberia, ...

Why was the fur trade important?

Trade was a way to forge alliances and maintain good relations between different cultures. The fur traders were men with capital and social standing. Often younger men were single when they went to North America to enter the fur trade; they made marriages or cohabited with high-ranking Indian women of similar status in their own cultures. Fur trappers and other workers usually had relationships with lower-ranking women. Many of their mixed-race descendants developed their own culture, now called Métis in Canada, based then on fur trapping and other activities on the frontier.

Where did the fur trade take place?

The Fur Trade. Native Americans traded along the waterways of present-day Minnesota and across the Great Lakes for centuries before the arrival of Europeans in the mid-1600s. For nearly 200 years afterward, European American traders exchanged manufactured goods with Native people for valuable furs. The Ojibwe and Dakota held powerful positions, ...

Why did the fur trade decline in Minnesota?

By the 1840s the fur trade had declined dramatically in the Minnesota region, partially due to changes in fashion tastes, the availability of less-expensive materials for hat-making, and because the US government reduced Dakota and Ojibwe hunting grounds through treaties.

What were the primary trappers of fur-bearing animals in the Northwest Territory?

The Dakota and Ojibwe were the primary trappers of fur-bearing animals in the Northwest Territory. They harvested a wide variety of furs (beaver being the most valuable) in the region's woodlands and waterways.

What were the important things that the French and British did to the fur trade?

Trade with Native Americans was so critical to the French and British that many European Americans working in the fur trade adopted Native protocols. The Ojibwe were particularly influential, which led many French and British people to favor Ojibwe customs of bartering, cooperative diplomacy, meeting in councils, and the use of pipes.

Why was Fort Snelling established?

Both Fort Snelling and the Indian Agency were established by the US government at the junction of the Mississippi and Minnesota river s to control and maintain the stability of the region's fur trade. By 1823, the American Fur Company controlled the fur trade across much of present-day Minnesota. The company’s headquarters was at the confluence ...

Who ran the Western Outfit of the American Fur Company?

The post was managed by Alexis Bailly, who began running a series of trading posts that extended up the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers. Henry Hastings Sibley , who took Bailly’s place in 1834, ran the Western Outfit of the American Fur Company and was responsible for trade with the Dakota.

Who were the main parties involved in the fur trade?

After the War of 1812 there were three main parties involved in the Upper Mississippi fur trade: Native Americans (primarily the Dakota and Ojibwe), the fur trading companies, and the US government. These parties worked together and each had something to gain from a stable trading environment. Both Fort Snelling and the Indian Agency were ...

Why did the French trade fur?

Indeed, one of the principal goals of the French fur trade during the 1700s was to maintain strong ties and military alliances with the Indians. Between 1698 and 1763, France and England fought a series of four wars for control of North America. Because the English colonies had a much larger population than New France, the French needed Indian allies to help them fight the English. The Indians continued to trade with the French because they wanted European goods. Despite this, Indian people did not become completely dependent upon European goods as is often believed. They preferred steel arrow points and iron kettles to those made of stone and clay, and muskets to bows and arrows but many of their older, traditional technologies persisted.

Where did Europeans get fur?

The first Europeans to purchase furs from Indians were French and English fishermen who, during the 1500s, fished off the coast of northeastern Canada and occasionally traded with the Indians. In exchange, the Indians received European-manufactured goods such as guns, metal cooking utensils, and cloth. This trade became so lucrative that many fishermen abandoned fishing and made voyages to North America only to trade in furs, often before great explorers such as Cartier, Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot), Henry Hudson, Giovanni da Verrazzano, and even Christopher Columbus made their famous voyages. While Cartier's voyages did not result in lasting French settlement in North America, they did expand trade between the French and Indians which had been going on before he arrived. Throughout the 1500s, French traders regularly landed their ships at Tadoussac near the confluence of the St. Lawrence and Saguenay Rivers and traded with Canadian Indians. Many tribes then traded some of these goods with other Indian groups farther into the interior.

What was the main trade center in Wisconsin after 1659?

Few Frenchmen were given such permission because the French wanted the Indians to bring the furs into the posts instead. The principal trading center in Wisconsin after 1659 was the Ottawa village at Che quamegon Bay on the southern shore of Lake Superior. After the destruction of the Huron by the Iroquois, the Ottawa became middlemen in the French fur trade. Great flotillas of canoes would leave Chequamegon Bay with furs and arrive at Montreal in Canada. There the Ottawa received European goods which they took back to Wisconsin and traded for furs with other tribes.

Did the French settle in Canada?

No Frenchmen resided in Canada at this time, nor were there other European settlements along the northeast coast of North America. The traders simply came to trade and then went back to Europe. This changed in 1608 when Samuel de Champlain established the city of Quebec and the colony of New France in Canada. He was soon followed by Henry Hudson, an English ship captain employed by the Dutch, who established the rival settlement of New Amsterdam (now New York City) and Fort Orange (now Albany) in 1614, both of which were part of the Dutch colony of New Netherland. Of lesser prominence were the English colonies of New England settled by the Puritans and Pilgrims beginning in the 1620s. Unlike the French and Dutch, the English came to farm rather than trade, but occasionally traded with local Indians as well. In 1664, the English conquered New Netherland and renamed it New York. Like the Dutch, the English traded primarily with the League of the Iroquois in northern New York and New England's Algonkian-speaking tribes. The French, on the other hand, traded with the Algonkian-speaking tribes of the St. Lawrence and Great Lakes regions, and the Iroquoian-speaking Huron of Lake Huron.

Who discovered the fur trade?

Origins. Further information: Canadian canoe routes. French explorer Jacques Cartier in his three voyages into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in the 1530s and 1540s conducted some of the earliest fur trading between European and First Nations peoples associated with 16th century and later explorations in North America.

How did the fur trade affect North America?

The trade soon became one of the main economic drivers in North America, attracting competition amongst various European nations which maintained trade interests in the Americas. The United States sought to remove the substantial British control over the North American fur trade during the first decades of its existence. Many indigenous peoples soon came to depend on the fur trade as their primary source of income and European-manufactured goods. However, by the mid-19th century changing fashions in Europe brought about a collapse in fur prices and led to the closure of several fur companies. Many indigenous peoples were plunged into poverty and consequently lost much of the political influence they once held.

How did the competition between the English and French affect the beavers?

Competition between the English and the French was disastrous on the beaver population . The status of beavers changed dramatically as it went from being a source of food and clothing for indigenous peoples to a vital good for exchange with the Europeans. The French were constantly in search of cheaper fur and trying to cut off indigenous middleman which led them to explore the interior all the way to Lake Winnipeg and the Central Plains. While some historians dispute the claims that the competition was predominantly responsible for over-exploitation of stocks, others have used empirical analysis to emphasize the changing economic incentives for indigenous hunters and role of the Europeans in the matter. There is widespread agreement on the matter in ethnohistory literature that indigenous hunters depleted the resource. Calvin Martin holds that there was a breakdown of the relationship between man and animal among some indigenous hunters who hunted to feed global fur markets with little consideration or understanding of the possibility of extinction. As competition increased between the English and French in the 16th century, fur was still predominantly harvested by Aboriginal tribes which acted as the middleman. The response to increased competition led to a severe over-harvesting of beavers. Data from three of the trading posts of the Hudson's Bay Company show this trend.

What were the effects of the beavers trade?

The trade and subsequent killings of beavers were devastating for the local beaver population. The natural ecosystems that came to rely on the beavers for dams, water and other vital needs were also devastated leading to ecological destruction, environmental change, and drought in certain areas.

What happened to fur prices in the 19th century?

By the middle of the 19th century, changing fashions in Europe brought about a collapse in fur prices. The American Fur Company and some other companies failed. Many Native American communities were plunged into long-term poverty and consequently lost much of the political influence they once had.

Why did the French take over New France?

New France was a proprietary colony run by the Compagnie des Cent-Associés who went bankrupt in 1663 because of the Iroquois attacks which made the fur trade unprofitable for the French. After the Compagnie des Cent-Associés went bankrupt, New France was taken over by the French Crown. King Louis XIV wanted his new Crown colony to turn a profit and dispatched the Carignan-Salières Regiment to defend it.

What is the fur trade?

The North American fur trade, an aspect of the international fur trade, was the acquisition, trade, exchange, and sale of animal furs in North America. Indigenous peoples and Native Americans of various regions of the present-day countries of Canada and the United States traded among themselves in the pre–Columbian era.

Overview

The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued. Historically the trade stimulated the exploration and colonization of Siberia, northern North America, and the South Shetland and South Sandwich Islands.

Russian fur trade

North American fur trade

Early organization

Maritime fur trade

See also

Bibliography

External links