CHAPTER XII 
BEAVER Fur; CASTOREUM; BEAVER MEAT; BEAVER 
FARMING 
BEAVER FUR 
Almost from the very beginning of the settlement of 
North America the trade in beaver skins played a most im- 
portant part in the development of the country, especially 
of Canada and the western United States, where the search 
for the coveted furs sent the trappers into practically every 
nook and corner of the Rocky Mountains. 
The French, when in possession of Canada, were inde- 
fatigable in their pursuit of the animal, and the Hudson’s 
Bay Company, when it came into being, likewise devoted 
much attention to the gathering of beaver skins. For a 
long series of years beaver fur furnished the material for 
hats, until in the nineteenth century the manufacture of 
silk for hats, and the use of the fur of the South American 
nutria or coypu combined to force the beaver from its place 
as a hatter’s material, and one may say compelled its use 
exclusively for wearing apparel, a purpose for which it is 
eminently well adapted, being one of the best furs we have. 
In Canada trading began in 1603 under a Royal Charter 
(French), and about twenty-five years later the “Company 
of 100 Partners” was formed, which took over and developed 
the trade until 1663. After some changes Montreal became 
the capital of the Canadian fur trade. 
May 2, 1669, Charles II of England granted Royal 
Charter to the Governor and Company of Hudson’s Bay, 
which granted exclusive rights in commerce and trading in 
that whole vast region. 
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