An Economy of Furs

I am an American. My ancestors were among the few who settled in New France (Quebec) prior to 1650. My father only knew his parents were born somewhere in Quebec Province and came to New England around 1900. I started searching for my Quebec roots about a dozen years ago. I've learned about my French-Canadian family, have visited Quebec several times where I met cousins and made new friends. I've read many history books to learn what I could about the people of Quebec, how they lived, what they ate and what they accomplished. I also learned that nearly half the population of Quebec immigrated to the USA between 1850 and 1900. Many settled in New England, especially large industrial cities in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. But these were not the first French to settle in what is now the United States . French forts once dotted the Great Lakes at Detroit, Duluth, Niagara and Mackinaw long before English settlers penetrated the Appalachian mountains. French men traveled as far as the Rockies, naming the Grand Tetons near today's Yellowstone Park. The Great Lakes and the St Lawrence, Ottawa and many other river systems were the French men's highways. Their goal was to aquire the skins of wild animals, especially Beaver, that flourished in the interior. The economy of New France depended on these skins arriving in Montreal and Quebec each year. The native peoples traded the skins for metal knives, tools, pots, needles as well as ribbons, blankets, beads and other manufactured goods like guns, gunpowder, lead shot and brandy. Tons of these animal skins were shipped to France where, most of them, were processed into felt and made into stylish hats.