The Trapper
By the 1840s, the fur trade, and particularly the beaver trade, was dying down due to the advent of the new silk hat, which made beaver hats all but obsolete. Trappers who had traditionally worn buckskin trousers and traded in furs, found that their wares were being promptly replaced by wool, corduroy and canvas. Nevertheless, they continued practicing their trade in the area, and eventually reinvented themselves into guides and scouts.
A trapper's job consisted of trapping animals in order to use their fur, pelts, skins, and even bones, to make clothing, tools, rugs, blankets, and other items that made life easier for people at the time. They knew how to track animals, how to build shelters, make fire, and how to work with leather and preserve pelts.
The Beaver Trade:
For an in depth history of the Beaver Fur Trade, we suggest visiting Fashionable Felted Fur by UC Santa Cruz, History Department
How to trap a beaver:
A trapper would first look for signs of beaver activity near a shallow body of water. This could be a creek, a lake, or a river. You will know a beaver, or a beaver family is nearby, if you can see "beaver sticks" - meaning sticks that have been gnawed or chewed on (beavers make dams, remember?). Trappers would then lure the beavers using castor oil and trap them using a steel trap submerged in water and connected to a long stick with the end above the water so the trappers could tell when the traps had been triggered. Once the beaver was trapped, the trapper would skin it, then tie the pelt onto a hoop, commonly made out of willow, and allow it to dry. Once they had collected several pelts, they would trade them.
Trappers learned a lot about how to work with leather from Native Americans. A common item for Native Americans to carry was a medicine pouch. Many trappers carried pouches with them to hold medicine and/or other small items.
See below for a slideshow with directions on how to assemble your Leather Pouch, make sure to pause the slideshow as needed.
A trapper's job consisted of trapping animals in order to use their fur, pelts, skins, and even bones, to make clothing, tools, rugs, blankets, and other items that made life easier for people at the time. They knew how to track animals, how to build shelters, make fire, and how to work with leather and preserve pelts.
The Beaver Trade:
For an in depth history of the Beaver Fur Trade, we suggest visiting Fashionable Felted Fur by UC Santa Cruz, History Department
How to trap a beaver:
A trapper would first look for signs of beaver activity near a shallow body of water. This could be a creek, a lake, or a river. You will know a beaver, or a beaver family is nearby, if you can see "beaver sticks" - meaning sticks that have been gnawed or chewed on (beavers make dams, remember?). Trappers would then lure the beavers using castor oil and trap them using a steel trap submerged in water and connected to a long stick with the end above the water so the trappers could tell when the traps had been triggered. Once the beaver was trapped, the trapper would skin it, then tie the pelt onto a hoop, commonly made out of willow, and allow it to dry. Once they had collected several pelts, they would trade them.
Trappers learned a lot about how to work with leather from Native Americans. A common item for Native Americans to carry was a medicine pouch. Many trappers carried pouches with them to hold medicine and/or other small items.
See below for a slideshow with directions on how to assemble your Leather Pouch, make sure to pause the slideshow as needed.