A Look At The Economic History Of The Fur Trade Throughout the History of Mankind

Ever since our primate ancestors evolved into the
Naked Ape and realized the need to cover their
bare skin with bear skin (and that of other
animals), fur and its products became an
important commodity. The demand for fur throws,
fur rugs, fur blankets and most especially fur
hats helped to shape the relationships between
ancient populations and their territories.

Much later in time, starting with the North
American Indians trading pelts for iron
implements, beads and fabrics, millions of
dollars were made from the fur trade. Fur
trading companies sprang up, predominantly in
Europe to profit from this trade.

Originally, the French profited, but when the
Hudson's Bay Company was chartered in 1670, a
hundred-year scuffle between England and France
ensued. Eventually, Jay's treaty, an agreement
signed in 1794 between the newly established
United States and England, set up a commission
to settle border disputes and allowed the
founding of the American Fur Company, run by one
of the first American millionaires, John Jacob
Astor. His company merged with the Hudson's Bay
Company in 1821 and the combined companies
continued to prosper from the fur trade until
the end of the twentieth century.

While regulations concerning the buying and
selling of pelts abounded, requiring licenses
and permits to hunt on various lands and
prohibiting some hunters and trappers from
working certain areas during certain seasons,
there were few or no limits on the type of
animal that could be killed for sale. The laws
of supply and demand were the only ones that
were considered by traders and it wasn't until
anti-fur protesters and conservationists began
to demand action in the middle of the twentieth
century that the trapping of certain species was
halted in some countries.

In the meantime, fur and felt hats were being
worn by virtually everyone, in every part of the
world both for style and for warmth. Beaver was
the original fur of choice, first as pelt and
later as felt. The latter process was developed
largely in Spain and Holland, and dates back to
the 14th century when beaver skins were worn in
Russia, then sent back to the Dutch artisans who
transformed the used garments into the pressed
fabric known as felt and thereafter made into
hats. When beaver pelts began to become scarce,
felt was made from rabbit fur and sheep wool,
and most of the felt hats worn today are
constructed from these materials. Animal
activists naturally prefer this method of
producing felt since it does not require the
killing of the animals to procure its fur or
wool.

Most recently, the anti-fur contingent has been
somewhat placated by the use of pest animals,
such as the bushy-tailed possum of New Zealand,
which is responsible for the near-extinction of
many native species through its decimation of
trees. Trapping of these animals and using their
pelts for the manufacture of hats, throws,
blankets and rugs is being encouraged to rid the
country of an unwanted species, and hopefully
restore some ecological balance. However, even
with a pest such as the bushy-tailed possum,
there is abundant regulation by the local
government, ensuring that only the most humane
means of capture is being utilized.

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Author Stephen Daniels highly recommends
http://www.trailsidetraditions.com/ to anyone
seeking high quality fur blankets, bedspreads,
lodge accessories, hats, rugs and more. The
owner of Trailside Traditions has been in this
business for more than 20 years, and takes pride
in the quality of the fur pelts he uses and gets
from his eco-responsible suppliers to create
beautiful genuine fur products for his
customers.

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