In the late 19th century Lesser Slave Lake Region, furs were so valuable that they were being used as currency!
People were buying food, clothing and even shelter with their precious furs. Originally valued using the term “Skin-Way” — which converts all furs to the value of a beaver skin — the booming fur trade was radically fueling expansion throughout Alberta.
In 1896, a beaver might be valued at six to 18 skins and a marten three to five. A beaver would have been worth anywhere from $0.75 to $16.20 and a marten would be $0.38 to $5.40, approximately $24 to $525 and $12 to $175 in 2021, respectively.
What Furs Were Worth
Between 1880 and 1896, the cash trade was becoming popular. Traders were getting cash for their furs more often.
In 1885, foxes of all colours — black, silver, red and cross — were plentiful at Lesser Slave Lake. Colin Fraser bought two black ones for $150. The following year, the Hudson’s Bay Company in Edmonton paid $4,000 — or approximately $120,000 in 2021 — for fur from Lesser Slave Lake traders.
In 1887, it was a solid trapping season for J.S. Edmonton and A. Mitchell. The pair would bring in about $500 worth of fur — or approximately $14,000 in 2021 — including 40 beaver and a dozen otters. They trapped along the Pembina, Athabasca and Lesser Slave rivers.
Prices were higher than normal in 1889. Deome Desjarlais and J. Ladouceur, Lesser Slave Lake traders, were coming to Edmonton with their winter stock of fur. At this point, Desjarlais had over $4,000 worth (approximately $120,000 in 2021).
Money Made in The Fur Trade
The Lesser Slave Lake Region was home to many big names in the fur trade. Deome Desjarlais was one of the traders. Rumours spread that he was making a lot of money, although no one seemed to know what happened to it. He would often bring his fur to Edmonton to sell before buying goods to bring back with him.
- 1886: the HBC purchased Desjarlais’ lot of fur for $4,590, or approximately $135,000 in 2021.
- 1887: HBC bought $1,500 — approximately $44,000 in 2021 — of fur from Desjarlais.
- 1891: he sold his fur for $1,400 to W.B. Stennett in Edmonton.
- He sold approximately $850 of fur to HBC in both 1892 and 1893.
- 1894: his fur was sold for $773.
- 1896: Desjarlais sold $4,119 — approximately $132,000 in 2021 — of fur to the HBC.
In 1895, a large number of fur traders were en route to Edmonton with an estimated $30,000 (approximately $988,000 in 2021) worth of fur to sell. Four boats came together from Lesser Slave Lake for the journey. They included those of the Brick Brothers, Deome Desjarlais, B.B. Lariviere and the Slave Lake Catholic Mission.
In 1896, B.B. Lariviere, B. Rivet, H. Langlais, E. Lagrandeur, R. and H. Hebert and J.A. Beauchamp, all arrived in Edmonton with fur for Larue & Picard. Mr. Larue, assisted by B.B. Lariviere, were to manage the large wholesale and retail establishment being set up at Lesser Slave Lake for the Larue & Picard trading business. The firm was shipping 23 bales of fur, weighing 225 to 275 lbs each — approximately 5,900 lbs total — to Lampson’s of London.
Travelling and Routes
The fur trade would involve a lot of transporting furs to more populated areas. Edmonton was the region’s hub for trade. So, traders would bring in their furs to sell and then return to their trading posts with loads of supplies to restock their businesses. Trappers themselves would either travel to Edmonton or sell at local posts.
At the end of December 1887, dog trains were expected to arrive in Edmonton from Lesser Slave Lake. A big trade was being reported from the area. This big trade meant that supplies were scarce for other traders.
In January 1888, Deome Desjarlais was en route to Lesser Slave Lake Post from Edmonton with four teams of dogs and his new supply of goods. Louis and Alex Hamelin were returning to Lac La Biche and sold their fur to the Hudson’s Bay Company for about $3,000, or approximately $88,000 in 2021.
Because traders had to take their furs somewhere to sell them, many benefitted from the roads and infrastructure that settlement and development would bring to the area. The expansion of the fur trade — and the discovery of gold on the Athabasca River — brought up the discussion of a road in 1895 via Fort Assiniboine, to Lesser Slave Lake and Peace River. The opening of such a road would bring Lesser Slave Lake and Peace River as close to Edmonton in winter as they are to Athabasca Landing.
Indigenous People
Indigenous trappers were essential to the fur trade. In 1896, The Edmonton Bulletin wrote that a winter’s catch of fur for one Indigenous trapper around Fort Vermilion was generally between 200 and 1,500 skins. That range of skins could be sold or traded for goods ranging from $25 to $1,350, or approximately $800 to $43,500 in 2021.
Epidemics were also greatly impacting the fur trade. In 1894, Shaftesbury Mission and Lesser Slave Lake were experiencing an outbreak of scarlet fever and diphtheria, with three people already dead by March. These illnesses hit Indigenous people hard. Many were too sick to hunt or trap. Extreme cold weather was compounding these challenges, with temperatures registering at -53C.
Other years were bountiful for the Indigenous trappers at Lesser Slave Lake. In 1896, they would have a prosperous fur harvest, with plenty of bear and moose. In 1894, Ka-pem-way-we-chew set five traps. Surprisingly, each trap was filled when he went to check on them in the morning. In one night, he trapped three silver and two cross fox. The value was between $150 to $500, which is approximately $4,000 to $14,000 in 2021.
The Effects of Weather on Animals
Weather was limiting the number of animals around to hunt and trap. Consequently, it was severely impacting people’s ability to sell at trading posts.
In some years like in 1882, the beaver trade would be smaller due to the early freeze-up of the lakes and rivers. Bear, lynx and rabbit were still expected to be plentiful that year.
In 1888, beavers were becoming extremely scarce in the smaller streams around Lesser Slave Lake. One Indigenous trapper would bring in a single beaver pelt when he normally had 100! The cause of this was puzzling locals. Because it appeared that the larger rivers were not being affected, nor did it look like disease or starvation.
The fur trade is one of the main focuses or themes in Alberta History: Lesser Slave Lake Region: News Reviews Volume 1: 1880-1896. This book offers a few highlights of the fur trade from the period when it was still the primary industry in what is now northern Alberta. Learn more about the fur trade and Lesser Slave Lake Region in general. Click here to check out our latest publication.