For two centuries, felt hats were a fashion statement in Europe. Felt was made from animal hair. . . the finest quality, waterproof felt made from Beaver.
The French traders ranged far and wide in pursuit of animal skins. The French didn’t actually trap and preserve the skins, the American Indians did. The Indians traded preserved skins for iron pots, metal hatchets, guns and gunpowder, blankets, knives, cloth, spirits and many other items they could not make.
This log cabin was built by Joseph Bailly, a Frenchman, in Southwest Indiana in the 1820’s. Pottawatomie Indians brought furs to Bailly’s store each spring to trade for merchandise. Bailly would pack the furs he bought into 60 lb. bundles and ship them (by boat) to Mackinac. At Mackinac, Bailly’s furs, along with furs from many other traders, were shipped (again by boat) to Montreal and on to Quebec. In Quebec, the furs were loaded onto large sailing ships and carried to Europe. In Europe, the hair was removed from the skin, processed into felt and fashioned into men’s and women’s hats.
By 1830 the fur trading business had ended. Over trapping had nearly driven the Beaver to extinction and the felt hat had become old fashioned.
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