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Where do beaver pelts come from?
Beaver pelts imported from North America were classified as either parchment beaver (castor sec – dry beaver), or coat beaver (castor gras – greasy beaver). Parchment beaver were from freshly caught animals, whose skins were simply dried before being presented for trade.
Who uses beaver pelts?
In the past, pelts were so important they were used as a trade medium in place of money. Between 1853 and 1877, the Hudson Bay Company sold almost three million beaver pelts to England. In Alaska today, trappers still harvest these furs. They are highly prized for cold weather coats and hats.
What were beaver pelts used for?
The pelts of American beavers are valuable in the fur trade and are largely used in making coats and hats. During the first several centuries of the European colonization of North America, beaver pelts were one of the most important natural resources to be exported from the northern regions of that continent.
How much would a fur trader make from one beaver pelt?
Each skin averages one and a half pound, and is worth in New York or London $5 per pound; value $7.50. The beaver skin is the circulating medium of the country.”
Where did the North American beaver come from?
North American beaver ( castor canadensis) was imported through agents in the English, French and Dutch colonies. Although many of the pelts were shipped to Russia for initial processing, the growth of the beaver market in England and France led to the development of local technologies, and more knowledge of the art of combing.
Why did the Europeans pluck the beaver hair?
A brand new beaver pelt has long hair, so the Europeans would pluck the long hair to get down to the pelt. They would rather have a worn out beaver skin with the long hair missing already, because then they wouldn’t have to pluck the long hairs out to get down to the felt.
When did the market for beaver pelts grow?
In the 1630s, the market for beaver pelts began to grow. Fashionable Parisians began wearing the “shako” and other varieties of beaver top hats. As the decades passed, the demand for fashionable beaver top hats grew.
What did the Europeans make their hats out of?
This is what they made their hats out of over in Europe. Darius Coombs, the associate director of the Wampanoag Indigenous Program, shows economics correspondent Paul Solman the beaver pelt that Native Americans would trade with the pilgrims. The Europeans would make hats out of the beaver pelts.