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Introduction

The fur trade was one of the earliest sustained economic and cultural exchanges in the Pacific Northwest, shaping the relationships between Indigenous nations and newcomers such as European and American fur traders. In this inquiry, students explore the land-based fur trade, especially the role of trading posts like Fort Vancouver, Fort Spokane, and Fort Colville. Students investigate how this early economy functioned, who participated, and who gained or lost as a result.

Students will consider how the fur trade influenced territorial claims, land use, and daily life in Washington. This inquiry invites students to think critically about cooperation, competition, and the long-term impacts of trade on people and land.

HistoryLink Articles

• Fur trader David Thompson explores the Pend Oreille River in September and October 1809.
• Astorians trade with Chinook and Clatsop Indians in April 1811.
• The North West Company establishes Spokane House in 1810.
• Jaco Finlay guides five Iroquois trappers to the Columbia in June 1808.
• Ship Beaver reaches the Columbia River on May 9, 1812.
• Representatives from the North West Company of Canada and the Pacific Fur Company of New York make the first ascent of the lower Columbia River for commercial purposes beginning on July 22, 1811.
• American fur traders of Pacific Fur Company agree to sell their properties to rival North West Company on October 16, 1813.
• Hudson’s Bay Company opens Fort Vancouver on March 19, 1825.
• Hudson’s Bay Company begins constructing Fort Colvile near Kettle Falls in early August 1825.
• Hudson’s Bay Company builds Fort Nisqually in spring 1833.
• Agricultural Exports from Washington.

Maps