The Modern Fur Trade
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As fashions changed from the felt hat, which was made from beaver fur, to silk hats, the nature of the fur trade changed as well. Traders could still receive high prices for their furs, but they were supplying furs like fox, wolf, lynx, marten, fisher, and mink.
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The fur trade continued to be an important part of the economy in the Peace River country, as the price for furs continued to be high until the Second World War.
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Through the 1920s and the 1930s farmers would trap in the winter months. The importance of the trade was seen when the provincial government passed laws to stop trappers from overlapping other trappers’ lines. The government required the registration of trap lines and protection of wildlife so that areas could not be trapped out.
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Under pressure from environmentalists and animal rights activists, traditional traps have been replaced with more humane traps. The fur industry continues to be important to Métis and First Nations people in the Peace country.