Since about 1798 both the Hudson’s Bay and North West Company have had trading posts at the mouth of the Lesser Slave River. At Lesser Slave Lake the two companies had violent conflicts before being forcibly merged by the British Government in 1821. By the early 1900’s independent traders were recognizing the opportunities available, William Bredin & James Cornwall opened a series of trading posts which they sold to Revillon Brothers in 1906, who by 1911 had 13 posts north & west of Athabasca. Trappers took their fur to these trading posts where they sold them or traded them for goods. The traders then sent them on to Edmonton for resale.
Trappers were not regulated and by the early 1900’s several species were in serious decline or in the case of the Beaver were extinct in northern Alberta (See SG042). Before RFMA’s, or Registered Fur Management Areas, a trapper found a likely looking spot and set out his snares and traps. If someone else was trapping there you found another spot as it could be detrimental to your health to butt in.
Many improvements have been made in the last century regarding trapping. The seasons are regulated, there are quota’s for various species and a potential trapper needs to pass a course before he is able to obtain a license.
Instead of selling to the local trading post, the trapper now takes his fur to a depot where it is sent to one of several auction houses. They are paid after the auction, of which there are several a year.
Trapping for some around here is a way of life. It is a winters occupation, but not one to earn enough money to live off of. A responsible trapper will watch for the rise and fall of populations of fur bearers and trap to maintain a healthy animal population. Gone (thankfully) are the days when people thought there was a never ending supply.