Skip to main content Skip to search Skip to search

History Pre-confederation (to 1867)

The Fur Trade in Canada

An illustrated history

by (author) Michael Payne

Publisher
James Lorimer & Company Ltd., Publishers
Initial publish date
Oct 2004
Category
Pre-Confederation (to 1867), Americas, 18th Century, General, World
Recommended Age
14
Recommended Grade
9
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781550288438
    Publish Date
    Oct 2004
    List Price
    $24.95
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781552773536
    Publish Date
    Feb 2008
    List Price
    $24.95

Classroom Resources

Where to buy it

Description

An engaging new look at this compelling era in Canadian history.

The fur trade set the tone for European exploration of North America and established the very foundation of Canada.

In this book, extensively illustrated with visuals from some of Canada's most prominent museums and archives, historian Michael Payne explores the personalities and events that shaped this powerful business.
Many of Canada's cities trace their roots to the fur trade. From Champlain's settlement of Quebec to the founding of Fort Edmonton and Fort Victoria by the Hudson's Bay Company, Payne tells the stories of these locations and the role they played in Canada's fur trading system. Among them: Montreal, Thunder Bay, and Winnipeg.

This book also details the fur trade's true origin as a network of trading patterns among Aboriginal peoples. The arrival of European traders forced many to choose sides. All faced horrific consequences for these decisions.

The Fur Trade in Canada: An Illustrated History is an engaging new look at this compelling era in our history.

About the author

Michael Payne is Head of Research and Publications for the Historic Sites and Archives Service, Alberta Community Development. He is author of The Most Respectable Place in the Territory: Everyday Life in the Hudson’s Bay Company Service York Factory, 1788 to 1870 and articles on the fur trade and Western Canadian history. A graduate of Queen’s University, the University of Manitoba, and Carleton, he lives in Edmonton.

Michael Payne's profile page

Librarian Reviews

The Fur Trade in Canada: An Illustrated History

In 1930, historian Harold Innis wrote that Canada emerged as a country as a direct result of the fur trade. The Canadian “mosaic” can also be traced back to the fur trade, which was a multilingual, multicultural enterprise. These are the overarching ideas on which this comprehensive, chronological book is based. It traces the history of the fur trade from pre-contact trade between Aboriginal people to 1945. The text is fairly dense, however, details about the daily lives of the fur traders and photographs, artwork and maps make this history of Canada come alive.

Payne works for the Historic Sites Service in Alberta. He is the author of many books and articles about the fur trade.

Source: The Association of Book Publishers of BC. Canadian Aboriginal Books for Schools. 2009-2010.