North American Fur Trade - The English Colonies

The English Colonies

Further information: Thirteen Colonies and Canada under British rule (1763–1867)

By the end of the 18th century the four major British fur trading outposts were Fort Niagara in modern New York, Fort Detroit and Fort Michilimackinac in modern Michigan, and Grand Portage in modern Minnesota, all located in the Great Lakes region. The American Revolution and the resulting resolution of national borders forced the British to re-locate their trading centers northward. The newly formed United States began its own attempts to capitalize on the fur trade with initially some success. However by the 1830s the fur trade had begun a steep decline. Fur was never again the lucrative enterprise it had once been.