- Term
Fur Trade
- Qualifier
Encounters exhibition
- Remarks
Fur trading provided one important impetus for exploring and settling the American West, the area west of the Mississippi River. During the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, nearly all of the hunting was done by North American Indians, who sold the pelts to traders in exchange for European goods. Although the fur trade took natural resources out of the American West for the sole monetary benefit of companies based in Europe, its most lasting impact was the transformation of the people of the West. North American Indians began to spend more time hunting the beaver, bison (buffalo) and other animals. Europeans and Americans spent more time producing the trade goods sought by the North American Indians, including knives, blankets, iron tools and cooking utensils, and glass beads. At trading posts and in North American Indian villages, people from different cultures met and became more familiar with each other's cultures. Wherever the fur trade dominated, relations between the North American Indians and the Europeans or European-Americans were apt to be friendly. The trade was mutually beneficial and made the different groups interdependent.