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| Title | The Coureur de Bois and the Indian |
| Coverage / Year | c. 1890 |
| Description | A fur trader stands by a birch bark canoe and shakes the hand of an Indian. A second fur trader is seated in the canoe. |
| Interpretation | The fur trade in America began with European settlement in the seventeenth century and extended well into the nineteenth century, by which time agricultural developments and the depletion of many of the fur-bearing animals made it less profitable. The coureurs de bois (literally woods runners) were independent traders who knew the woods well and dealt directly with the Indians. During the French Colonial period, the coureurs de bois operated in the upper Mississippi valley, extending their reach into the American bottom, an area stretching almost one hundred miles south from the point where the Missouri River flows into the Mississippi. The French government tried to control the activities of the coureurs de bois, and put many restrictions on them, trying to compel the Indians to bring their pelts directly to government-sanctioned trading posts. This scene is from a drawing, probably from around 1890. By this time, most of the Indians who had lived in Illinois had long since been forced to leave. The Black Hawk War of 1832 was a turning point in the declining fur trade and the Indian removal from Illinois. |
| Lesson Plans / Themes | French in Illinois; Westward Expansion; Native American Stories; Illustrated Timeline of Illinois Settlement |
| Learning Standards | 16 History; 14 Political systems; 15 Economics; 17 Geography; 18 Social systems; |
| Author or Creator | Illinois Heritage Association |
| Other Contributors | Illinois State Historical Library
Illinois Historic Preservation Agency
|
| Source | original drawing, possibly printed in a contemporary magazine, such as Harper's Weekly |
| Subject / Keywords | fur trade; Indians of North America; Remington, Frederic, 1861-1909; |
| Collection Publisher | Illinois Heritage Association
|
| Further Information | For any further information related to this record, please contact the Collection Publisher. See http://images.library.uiuc.edu/projects/tdc for more information about this project. |
| Rights Management Statement | http://images.library.uiuc.edu/projects/tdc/conditions.htm |
| Resource Identifier | IHA00047 |
| CONTENTdm file name | 54.jpg |
