Fur Trade
At the age of 14, Fraser moved to Montreal for additional schooling, where two of his uncles were active in the fur trade, in which his kinsman, Simon McTavish, was the undisputed leading figure. In 1790, unsurprisingly, he was apprenticed to the North West Company.
Between 1792 and 1805, it would appear that Fraser spent most of his time working in the company's Athabasca Department. While little is known of his activities during this time, Fraser seems to have done well, as he was made a full partner of the company in 1801 at the relatively young age of 24.
Read more about this topic: Simon Fraser (explorer)
Famous quotes containing the words fur and/or trade:
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