Trading: American Fur Company
Fur traders in the 18th and 19th century, as well as the scouts, guides, trappers and Native hunters who worked for them, had a ready demand for their furs. Europe had been the primary consumer of North American fur, primarily beaver pelts and later deerskin hides. Trading companies like the Hudson's Bay Company, the North West Company and smaller firms such as Panton & Leslie held the lion's share of the fur trade. However, these were British firms and as Britain continued to stifle American trade with Europe in the windup to the War of 1812, Americans found their own firms and looked to other markets. China became a viable customer for American furs, beaver and later buffalo robes. An enterprising German immigrant named John Jacob Astor seized on this opportunity and created the American Fur Company in 1808. The American Fur Company worked in a similar way as Hudson's and other similar firms. Cheaply manufactured trade goods would be made available at trading