Click to continue

1
It is 1745 and you are a young French person.
Your Mother and Father are wealthy business
people. They worked hard, made good decisions
and as a result they made lots of money in the
spice trade. You are now old enough to earn your
own keep.

• Click to continue

2
One day, your parents call you into their study.
They hand you an envelope. Your Mother tells you
that the envelope contains 200 French Francs (a
lot of money). She explains that this money is
to be used to get you started in the world of
business. Use it wisely she explains, because
when it is gone there will be no more. You take
the envelope, hug your Father and Mother, thank
them and you leave the room.

• Click to continue

3
Once alone in your bedroom, you begin to think
about what to do with this money to make it grow
so you can secure for yourself a future. Many
possibilities float through your mind. Your
second cousin Jean Val Jean, has talked to you
many times of investing money in a new technology
which uses something called radio waves to
transmit our voices. You shake your head and
decide that something as far fetched as that is
way too risky.

• Click to continue

4
Then you remember that last week your great Aunt
Joan came to diner and she spoke of the latest
fashion storming the streets of Paris and London.
Aunt Joan said that everyone who was everyone
was wearing a felt hat made from the fur of
Beavers in a place called Canada. This gives you
an idea. You quickly draft a letter to Peter
Bonaparte your familys travel agent and you
book a return ticket aboard the ship La Formage
to this place called Canada.

• Click to continue

5
It is three months later and your boat has
finally docked at a settlement along the St.
Lawrence River. The English captain of the
boat informs you that you have arrived at a place
called Mount Royal. You look up at the large
cross placed on the mountain behind the
settlement and wonder about this place. The
captain asks you, to please translate the name of
this place to French.

• Click to continue

6
He mentions that he likes to gamble. He bets you
the cost of your voyage over the Atlantic ocean,
that you will never be able to guess the French
name for Mount Royal. Mais Qui. you start to
say, then you catch yourself and say, yeah sure,
lets do it. You shake hands and then you tell
him the French name of this place is

• Montreal
• Quebec City

7
Good Choice. Mount Royal translated into French
is Montreal.

• Collect 10 Francs
• Continue

8
Sorry. Mount Royal translated into French is
Montreal.

• Subtract 10 Francs
• Continue

9

After a few days you decide, you better start
planning. You have a plan for taking your 200
francs and spending or investing it in getting as
many furs hopefully beaver to take back to
France with you. You hope that you will be able
to cash in on the Beaver felt hat craze back in
Europe and make lots of money.

• Click to continue

10
But, you know that you will need money to get to
where the furs are and get them back to Europe.
You also know that you will have to try to get
the furs for as little expense as possible. You
also know that you have a lot to learn about this
fur trade and that you will have a lot of
decisions to make about where to go, what to take
with you, what route to take etcYour first stop
is going to be the map maker.

• Click to continue

11
The map makers office is cold and dark. There
is a large table in the middle of the room. On
the table is a stack of old, worn maps. From the
back of the room emerges the map maker. He has a
candle in his hand. As he approaches you see
that he is an elderly, short and frail man.
Bonjour he says in a friendly, warm voice. He
guides you to the table and after you explain to
him your desire to find furs, he shows you two
maps.

• Click to continue

12
Mon ami, the place of the good furs is far from
here. To reach it you must travel west. Then
he unrolls two maps on the table. The
destination you seek can be reached with two
different routes. He places the candle down on
the table and you see the maps before you. My
friend, he says as he places his hand on your
shoulder, I can only show you the two routes
you and only you can decide on which journey to
take. He continues, My job is only to sell you
a map and when you have made your choice I will
tell you the price of the map you have chosen.

• Click to continue

13
He points his finger at the first map. He traces
a line to a place called Hudson Bay and to a
river which flows from the Bay to a huge expanse
of land to the West. This is one way to go.
But be careful, it will get you to the West
quickly, but the ice up there will come very
quickly and your season for traveling will be
very short.

• He unrolls a second map. Ah yes, he mutters,
  the St. Lawrence River. A wonderful choice.
  Your season for travel will be a few months
  longer than the route through the Hudsons Bay.
  But, you have a longer way to goyou will need to
  travel many kilometers by canoe to get to the
  West and to the furs

14
Good Choice. You have chosen well. You will be
able to get there quickly on a large ship and
then you are already into the west. From there
you can quickly follow the river system into the
west.

• Collect 10 Francs
• Continue

15
An Okay Choice. You can do it, but the traveling
is much farther and it will take you much longer.
All of this will reduce the amount of money you
make.

• Collect 5 Francs
• Continue

16
You leave the mapmaker and your next stop is to
visit the Blacksmiths shop. As you get close to
the door, you hear the sound of metal clanking on
metal and when you peer into the shop you see
sparks flying and the red glow of hot iron. You
need to shout to be heard. The Blacksmith, stops
and heads towards you, Bonjour, can I help you
with something, he says.

• Click to continue

17
His hand and face are covered in black soot from
the fire. You mention to him, your need for
traps to trap animals. He rubs his big hand over
his chin and asks you, what is the animal you
seek to trap, I will need to know what sort of
trap to build. You are confused. Remember,
he says, you will need to be able to haul this
animals pelt out of the wilderness, and it
should be a fur that is worth lots of money.
Think carefully before you choose.

• Buffalo
• Chicken
• Beaver

18
Good Choice. This is where the money is at.
Great work. Beaver pelts are more easily
transported than any of the others and they are
worth a great deal of money in the 1700s. You
made a great investment decision. With careful
planning, you may do very well.

• Collect 10 Francs
• Continue

19
Dont be silly

• Subtract 10 Francs
• Continue

20
Okay. Not a great choice. Buffalo robes were
used for coats, but they were difficult to
transport and they were never worth a lot of
money. This would not be a great investment.

• Add 5 Francs
• Continue

21
You leave the Blacksmith as he has plenty of work
to do building your traps. A few meters away,
close to the river you see the boat makers shop.
Inside his shop you smell wood and glue and the
sound of sanding from the back. You clear your
throat loudly. The sanding stops and from the
back comes a large woman with a bright blue wood
workers apron around her. She smiles and extends
her hand and greets you warmly. Once you tell
her of your plans to travel to the Western
frontier to gather Beaver furs, she smiles and
nods her head. Yes, my friend, she says, I
can show you a few of my boats but the final
choice will be yours.

• Click to continue

22
She leads you through to her showroom and you see
that she has two different watercraft to choose
from

• The Birch Bark Canoe.
• A big, flat barge.

23
Excellent. A light weight boat to carry, but yet
very strong in the water and able to carry a men
and furs. Very easy to steer.Excellent. This
boat will do the trick.

• Add 10 Francs
• Continue

24
It is slow moving, but great for moving a lot of
cargo.Not a good choice, the rapids will rip it
apart and it will not be easy to steer.

• Subtract 10 Francs
• Continue

25
It is late and it has been a long day and you
notice that you are very hungry. You rub your
growling stomach and begin to look around the
streets for a place to eat. Above a door you see
the sign Maries Pastiere. A delicious meat
pie and a cool drink would be good, you think to
yourself. You cross the street and enter the
café and take a seat near the window. Marie
quickly takes your order, brings you a pitcher of
cool lemonade and she reassures you that the pie
will be ready toute suite.

• Click to continue

26
While you are waiting, a big, rough looking man
on the other side of the room catchers your
attention. He gets up and walks towards you.
You notice that all his clothes are made from
animals he even has a necklace of some animals
teeth dangling around his neck. Hey, he says,
can I talk to you.

• Click to continue

27
You nod and he takes a seat. I hear you are
planning a trip into the West, he says. You nod
again and sip your lemonade. Well, you will
need a crew to help you with all the work, he
explains. My name is Henri I can provide you
with a good crew, he says. He lays out two
pieces of paper on the table.

• Click to continue

28
Here are two different crews. Choose the one
you want and the prices I will tell you once you
have chosen.

• All European Men
• A mix of European and First Nations Men

29
Well, their culture may be familiar, but do they
know the environment. It may have been handy to
also have someone with local knowledge of the
wilderness.

• Subtract 5 Francs
• Continue

30
Excellent choice. First Nations people teach you
valuable things about food from the wilderness,
and what is safe and what is dangerous out in the
vast Canadian environment.

• Add 10 Francs
• Continue

31
Now that you have your crew, you are ready to
eat. Marie brings you the pie and you dig in.
But Henri does not leave. When would you like
this crew to be ready to leave? he asks. You
are not sure, so you decide to ask Henri. When
should I leave? Henri explains that you have
two choices and he lists them.

• Leave early summer.
• Leave early spring.

32
Great weather. Yes. But the season may not be
long enough for you to get there and back before
the ice freezes.

• Subtract 5 Francs
• Continue

33
Excellent. The ice will be gone and it should
give you a long enough travel time to avoid
winter and the ice.

• Add 10 Francs
• Continue

34
Many months have passed and it is getting close
to your departure. There is one last thing you
need to do before you leave. You will need to
buy supplies for the journey. With this in mind,
you walk to Monsieur Sobeys small supply shop.

• Click to continue

35
The shop door squeaks as you enter and a small
bell tinkles. Stephan Sobey arrives from the
cellar, where he stores many goods, and greets
you with a friendly handshake. After a little
chat, you get down to business. Mr. Sobey tells
you he is worried that your journey to the west
and back could take as short as one year or as
long as two years. He offers you several types
of food supplies and you must choose the one most
suited for your journey.

• Side of beef, some chickens and potatoes.
• Lots and lots of Pemmican.

36
Excellent. A mix of dried berries and dried meat.
The best for traveling where there is no fridge.
It will last a long time and it provides great
nutrition.

• Add 10 Francs
• Continue

37
Maybe not. Great nutrition, but it will not last
very long.

• Subtract 10 Francs
• Continue

38
Next, Mr. Sobey inquires, what goods are you
planning on using for trading with? Of course,
you think to yourself, I will need some things to
trade in exchange for the furs. The people of
the west are not simply going to give to you the
furs for free, they will want things. I have a
selection of things you will need to takechoose
carefully.

• Wooden carvings made by the residents
• of a nearby Iroquois village.
• Beads, cooking pots, and iron tools.

39
Maybe not. Since most will already have these,
they will not be in high demand and therefore
these things will not buy many furs

• Subtract 10 Francs
• Continue

40
These are not things easily found the west, so
they will be in high demand and they will make
peoples lives easier. A great choice.

• Add 10 Francs
• Continue

41
Finally, on a clear, sunny day in
April, you and your crew put your canoes into the
river and you are ready to go. The ice has
recently melted and you are anxious to get going.
A priest says a quick prayer, you take one last
look at this place and then away you go. Your
journey has begun.

• Continue

42
Things go well the first two weeks.
You wake up at sunrise, have a quick breakfast
and then you are in the boat and paddling.
After, the first few days your muscles grow
strong and you are now able to keep up with the
rest of the crew. This is a big canoe and it
takes all 12 men to move it up the river. At
sunset, you find a place to camp and rest for the
night. It has been like this for two weeks.

• Continue

43
However today is a different. Shortly after,
noon you begin to hear a loud thundering sound
ahead. At first, you are not sure what it is and
then it becomes clear that what you hear is the
sound of water rushing over and around large
rocks in the river. It is the rapids, one of
your crew tells you. Ahead you can see the rocks
sticking out of the water and you can see the
water rushing and spinning and swirling in all
directions. You have a few moments to decide
what to do

• You will paddle your boat through the rapids.
• You will portage around the rapids.

44
A very risky move. Running rapids could destroy
your craft and injure or kill members of your
crew. While it may be the fastest, it is not
always the safest.

• Subtract 10 Francs
• Continue

45
You portage. This means that you carry your boat
and your supplies around the rapids on land.
This is safe and it does not take as long as
looking for another route.

• Add 10 Francs
• Continue

46
Many moons later you enter the flat prairies of
western Canada. At last you can get down to
trading. It is now early summer and you will
have to act fastin order to return before the
winter freeze up. You look at you map and you
wonder where would the most likely place be for a
trading post. You narrow it down to two spots
and then you choose one carefully.

• Near a river close to present day Edmonton.
• A high plateau where you can see all the empty
  dry land below you.

47
Excellent. The river here is very important.
People can use it to travel to you and you can
use it to travel home when you are done.

• Add 10 Francs
• Continue

48
This is good for sight seeing, but it does not
have a river close by for transportation. How
will people get their furs to you.

• Subtract 10 Francs
• Continue

49
You arrive in near Edmonton with your goods and
you set up camp and wait to trade. All around
you, the Blood Indians of this region begin to
arrive with furs. They lay them on the ground
and you begin to inspect them. You notice that
many of the furs have long, coarse hairs. You
decide

• To not buy the ones with long hairs.
• To buy the ones with the long hairs.

50
Bad choice. The ones with the longguard hairs
are actually worth more.

• Subtract 10 Francs
• Continue

51
Excellent. The long hairs add shineto the fur
and increase the money paid for the furs.

• Add 10 Francs
• Continue

52
Now you are ready to negotiate. You approach
the first pile of furs and you decide

• Offer everything you have for all their furs.
• Offer very little of what you have and act
  uninterested in their furs.

53
No. These First Nation traders are skilled
negotiators. You should learn to barter with
them. Offer them little and let them make a
counter offer.

• Subtract 10 Francs
• Continue

54
Yes. Well done. These First Nations traders are
skilled at negotiation and you must treat them
with respect and see them as good businesspeople.

• Add 10 Francs
• Continue

55
By the time the week is over you have traded all
your goods for a huge mound of beaver furs or
pelts. Your crew looks at the pile in disbelief.
How will you transport all of these back to sell
them. Then you have an idea

• You will tie a rope around them and pull them
  down the river behind
• 
  
  your canoe.
• You will press them together and tie them into
  compact bales and
• 
  transport them in your canoe.

56
No. By the time you reach home the furs will be
water logged and ruined.

• Subtract 10 Francs
• Continue

57
Yes. These fur bales are compact, easy to
transport and they will protect the fur. Great
choice.

• Add 10 Francs
• Continue

58
You leave the trading area and head back down
the river towards home. Suddenly your men and
you are attacked by a mob of mosquitoes. There
are millions of them and they are eating you guys
alive. Something must be done.

• You decide to run and hide under some leaves.
• You smear yourself with animal fat to keep them
  off.

59
No. It will be difficult to hide from them. And
the attacks could be quite bad, you may get sick
from too many bites.

• Subtract 10 Francs
• Continue

60
Really Gross, but a good idea. This will keep
them off and you will be able to keep on working.

• Add 10 Francs
• Continue

61
Congratulations. You have made it back to
Montreal. Now you can sell your furs, pay your
bills and see how much you have left over from
the original 200 francs. How much money did you
make?