Pelts help settle the New World.
Fur, Fortune, and Empire: The Epic History of the Fur Trade in America. By Eric Jay Dolin. New York, N.Y. : W.W. Norton & Co., 2010. 442 p.
Recommendation submitted by Gordon Russ, Volunteer, Washington State Library, Tumwater, WA
Mr. Dolin takes us on a journey, following the fur trappers west as America grows in size and maturity. His story starts in the late 1500s with some of the early French explorers. The fur trade really gets going in the 1620s with the coming of the Dutch settlers and their need for income. They start a vigorous trade with the Native Americans for beaver pelts, much desired in Europe. The French and English quickly join the Dutch as they migrate to North America in search of new lands, religious freedom, and the need for income. They too find the need to trade for the highly valued furs in the virgin lands. The battle for Beaver pelts stirs much unrest between the home countries of these early settlers this leads to conflicts in Europe as well.
The fur trade moves west into the Great Lakes, up the Missouri river, into the Rocky Mountains, then down the Columbia River. Dolin takes us on an adventure: introducing us to the colorful people and characters of the of the fur trade such as Henry Hudson, John “Big Belly” Printz, John Jacob Astor, Christopher Hudson “Kit” Carson, Jim Bridger, Jedediah Smith, “Buffalo Bill” Cody and many others are introduced. The book becomes a good primer of American History. Dolin ties together those stories of our past and its people into a continuous thread of how we became who we are.
While the Beaver Fur trade and the genesis of America are percolating on the East Coast, the Spanish and Russians are not forgotten as they nibble away at the West coast in search of the Sea Otter. All parties come together for the final confrontation right here in the Pacific North West. As the battle for dominance of this new land rages, the participants drop out one at a time. First, the Spanish leave, then the Russians and French, which leaves only the British and Americans to confront each other on the new frontier for the furs. They discover they both have exhausted the Beaver, the Sea Otter and the reason they were there in the first place. This leaves the land to those who wanted it – the Native Americans and the Americans, but that is another story for another time.
So sit back and wrap yourself in your favorite buffalo robe and enjoy a good read of adventure and riches.
ISBN-13: 9780393067101
Available at WSL, NW 381.4568 DOLIN 2010
Available as an eBook.
Not available in talking book or Braille editions.
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