In the early days of colonization, the first settlements along the St. Lawrence River were primarily trading posts. This was the case of Trois-Rivières, which was founded in 1634, but was already known as a trading site. A commander was in charge of the post. A fortified “habitation” was built to provide housing for the inhabitants and to store merchandise.

A trading site

Members of different Indigenous Nations, like the Huron (Wendat), Algonquins and Montagnais, came to the trading sites to barter their furs for European products such as metal axes, swords, blankets, knives, and copper pots.

Relays on the territory

Starting in the 1670s, a large number of trading posts were established further inland, around the Great Lakes. A trading post’s location was chosen based on two criteria: firstly, its proximity to navigable waterways for transport, and secondly, its proximity to Indigenous Peoples for fur trading.

Author: Service national du Récit de l’univers social. Translation and adaption by LEARN.

See also – Traces of the past:

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