Big Business on the Frontier

France initially explored the land that was home to North America’s rich fur-bearing animals. It claimed present-day Canada as New France in 1534 and established its first permanent settlement in 1608. The French fur trade was centered in Montreal, on the St. Lawrence River. From there, French coureurs de bois—independent woodsmen and traders—explored the interior. They traded with the people they met. Coureurs de bois often lived with First Nations groups. They formed bonds of kinship, often marrying First Nations women.

But by the early 1660s, the French government wanted the fur trade to run more like an organized business. It issued licenses for