The French Fur Trade Beginning in the mid sixteenth century, French explorers were able to establish a powerful and lasting presence in what is now the Northern United States and Canada. The explorers placed much emphasis on searching and colonizing the area surrounding the St. Lawrence River “which gave access to the Great Lakes and the heart of the continent”(Microsoft p?). They began exploring the area around 1540 and had early interactions with many of …showed first 75 words of 927 total…

…showed last 75 words of 927 total…the British and other European countries noticed France’s great success in fur trading and shifted their attention toward obtaining native allies and trading. France lost its hold on the business only to see the power shift to the British and saw them take control of America. French explorers were able to establish peaceful relations with the Indians; however, the end result of the fur trade was much fighting and wars between nations and tribes.