The Nor'Westers: The Fight for the Fur Trade

" For forty-two years, one group of brave men dominated the fur trade in Canada under the North West Company name. This is the story of the company from its creation in 1779 to its union with the Hudson's Bay Company in 1821. During this period, traders and explorers such as Alexander Henry, David Thompson, Simon McTavish, and Peter Pond explored territories previously unknown to those of European descent, made the first contact with countless Native tribes, and risked their lives daily to meet the enormous European demand for beaver pelts. In this award-winning book, author Marjorie Wilkins Campbell captures the drama of the fur trade, following the lives of the Nor_Westers and the explorers and traders who braved the wilderness from the St. Lawrence river to the Pacific, from the Arctic to the Mississippi. Filled with adventure, intrigue, and excitement, The Nor_Westers brings the amazing story of the fur trade to life in vivid detail, awakening an interest in history in readers aged 12 to 16. The fur trade was a risky business. With few provisions, traders traveled by canoe and foot through the dangers of Canada's northwest to find furs for a European market. As the demand for furs increased, the traders had to move farther and farther into the wilderness to find furs; they became explorers, heroes. But it was a hard life. Some years would be profitable, others would bring men and their families to the brink of starvation. In the face of such hardship, one group of traders joined forces in 1779. It was the beginning of an empire. For forty-two years they dominated the fur trade from St. Lawrence to the Pacific, from the Arctic to the Mississippi. They called themselves the North West Company, and soon became known as the Nor_Westers." About the Author: "Marjorie Wilkins Campbell (b at London, Eng 1901; d at Toronto 23 Nov 1986) was the author of thirteen books for both adults and younger readers, including The Silent Song: A Tribute to a Reluctant Pioneer Mother (Fifth House, 1999). She is a recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship (1959) and a Member of the Order of Canada (1978), and received two Governor General's Awards; the first in nonfiction for The Saskatchewan (1950) and the second in juvenile literature for The Nor_Westers (1954)."