Innumerable forces were at work in the colonization of the New World. Then as now, the vanity of men drove exploration and conquest (along with, one hopes, a sense of wonder and discovery). One element within that matrix was fashion, particularly the desire for beaver fur for headwear in Europe. Hunted to extinction there, Canada (and the HBC), provided a seemingly inexhaustible source of furs and other natural resources. The smallest things shape our world.
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