A Year in the Life of a Fur Trapper
A trapper would usually work in groups from anywhere between 2-30 men, including trappers and “camp keepers.” The average career of a trapper was about ____ years.
Equipment: Typical attire/equipment of a trapper. Osborne Russell, in his book “Journal of a Trapper” describes the equipment of a trapper:
· "His personal dress is a flannel or cotton shirt (if he is fortunate to obtain one, if not antelope skin answers the purpose of over and undershirt) a pair of leather breeches with blanket or smoked buffalo skin leggings, a coat made of blanket or buffalo robe a hat or cap of wool, buffalo or otter skin his hose are pieces of blanket lapped around his feet which are covered with a pair of moccasins made of dressed deer or elk or buffalo skins with his long hair falling loosely over his shoulders complete the uniform"
· "A trappers equipment in such cases is generally one animal upon which is placed one or two Epishemores [saddle blanket] a riding saddle and bridle a sack containing six beaver traps a blanket with an extra pair of moccasin’s his powder horn and bullet pouch to which is attached a butcher knife a small wooden box containing bait for beaver a tobacco sack with a pipe and implements for making fire with sometimes a hatchet fastened to the pommel of his saddle"
Fall Harvest: In the late summer/early fall, the trappers would begin at the headwaters of the rivers in the high ground and make their way downstream as the rivers slowly froze.
Winter: Trappers usually spent their winters on the plains, and would live off whatever game they could find such as bison, buffalo, and antelope. In desperate situations, trappers would consume camp dogs, beaver pelts, and their moccasins. Pack animals (horses and donkeys) were consumed as a last resort because of their high cost.
Spring Harvest: After winter, the trapper would return to the mountains and rivers and work their way back up to the high-ground. Spring beaver pelts were more valuable (probably because the fur was thicker after the winter).
A Trapping Day: Traps were set at dawn and brought in at sunset. When a beaver was caught, it was skinned on the spot and then carried back to camp to be processed and stored. A good trapping season would harvest about 120 skins. The typical diet of a fur trapper consisted of 6,000 calories a day, because of the energy required for the hard work.
Rendezvous: Every trapping season ended in Rendezvous where trappers would sell their pelts, and resupply for the next season. Rendezvous would usually last for a whole month. It saved the trappers the large amounts of time that would be needed to transport furs back and forth several times in a season. An average trapper made about $200-$400 in a season.
Hardships: Hostile Indian tribes, bears, infection, starvation, freezing, accidents, sickness.
Equipment: Typical attire/equipment of a trapper. Osborne Russell, in his book “Journal of a Trapper” describes the equipment of a trapper:
· "His personal dress is a flannel or cotton shirt (if he is fortunate to obtain one, if not antelope skin answers the purpose of over and undershirt) a pair of leather breeches with blanket or smoked buffalo skin leggings, a coat made of blanket or buffalo robe a hat or cap of wool, buffalo or otter skin his hose are pieces of blanket lapped around his feet which are covered with a pair of moccasins made of dressed deer or elk or buffalo skins with his long hair falling loosely over his shoulders complete the uniform"
· "A trappers equipment in such cases is generally one animal upon which is placed one or two Epishemores [saddle blanket] a riding saddle and bridle a sack containing six beaver traps a blanket with an extra pair of moccasin’s his powder horn and bullet pouch to which is attached a butcher knife a small wooden box containing bait for beaver a tobacco sack with a pipe and implements for making fire with sometimes a hatchet fastened to the pommel of his saddle"
Fall Harvest: In the late summer/early fall, the trappers would begin at the headwaters of the rivers in the high ground and make their way downstream as the rivers slowly froze.
Winter: Trappers usually spent their winters on the plains, and would live off whatever game they could find such as bison, buffalo, and antelope. In desperate situations, trappers would consume camp dogs, beaver pelts, and their moccasins. Pack animals (horses and donkeys) were consumed as a last resort because of their high cost.
Spring Harvest: After winter, the trapper would return to the mountains and rivers and work their way back up to the high-ground. Spring beaver pelts were more valuable (probably because the fur was thicker after the winter).
A Trapping Day: Traps were set at dawn and brought in at sunset. When a beaver was caught, it was skinned on the spot and then carried back to camp to be processed and stored. A good trapping season would harvest about 120 skins. The typical diet of a fur trapper consisted of 6,000 calories a day, because of the energy required for the hard work.
Rendezvous: Every trapping season ended in Rendezvous where trappers would sell their pelts, and resupply for the next season. Rendezvous would usually last for a whole month. It saved the trappers the large amounts of time that would be needed to transport furs back and forth several times in a season. An average trapper made about $200-$400 in a season.
Hardships: Hostile Indian tribes, bears, infection, starvation, freezing, accidents, sickness.