Exploration, the Fur Trade and Hudson's Bay Company

Building a Trading Post: How to Choose a Site

In this lesson, students develop, then compare and contrast various criteria for choosing the site of fur trading posts. They select suitable sites on a map, justify their choices, and produce a two- or three-dimensional artistic representation of the post. Much information, including maps, is available from the Exploration, the Fur Trade and the Hudson's Bay Company site.

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Subject/Ages
Social Studies (History), Ages 10 to 13

Overview
The first portion of the activity involves brainstorming various criteria for selecting a site for a trading post, and what considerations might have to be made when building such a post.

The second portion involves small group work, to select a site for a post and determine what the post will be equipped with.

The third portion involves the creation of a two- or three-dimensional artistic representation of the post and the preparation of a presentation about the post.

Note that there are two printable versions. The Rich Text Format (RTF) can be altered to suit your classroom needs.

Outcomes (WCP, APEF); Expectations (ON); Objectives (QC)

Social Studies Outcomes
By the end of these activities, students should be able to:

Use the five themes of geography (location/place, environment, region, interaction, movement) to focus their inquiries
Analyze, classify, and interpret information

Fine Arts Outcomes (Visual Arts)

Produce two- and three-dimensional works of art that communicate a range of ideas for specific purposes and to specific audiences, using a variety of familiar art tools, materials and techniques

Language Arts Outcomes

(R) Reading:

Read non-fiction materials for a variety of purposes

(O/V) Oral and Visual Communication

Express and respond to a range of ideas and opinions concisely, clearly, and appropriately
Contribute and work constructively in groups

These Language Arts Outcomes correspond to:

WCP GO - R: 3.2; O/V: 5.2, 5.1
Quebec objectives - 2 (Reading); 2, 1 (Oral)
APEF CGO - R: 4; O/V: 1, 2.1

Materials/Resources Required

Computers with access to the Internet
Various materials for student-selected means of expression (painting, drawing, collage)
Student Handout
Assessment Sheet

Links
Early Canadiana Online: Exploration, the Fur Trade and Hudson's Bay Company
URL: http://www.canadiana.org/hbc/

Hudson's Bay Company History Page
URL: http://www.hbc.com/hbc/e_hi/default.htm (English)
URL: http://www.hbc.com/hbcf/f_hi/default.htm (français)

The National Library of Canada: Pathfinders and Passageways
URL: http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/explorers

The Virtual Museum of New France
URL: http://www.civilization.ca/vmnf/explor/explcd_e.html
Musée Virtuel de la Nouvelle-France
URL: http://www.civilization.ca/vmnf/explor/explor_f.html

Previous Knowledge
Students will need an understanding of Web navigation symbols, tools and terminology, particularly the tools used in Exploration, the Fur Trade and Hudson's Bay Company site.

Lesson Opener
Begin the lesson with a map of Canada. Ask students to place push pins (or some other marking device) on the map in places that they think would make a good site for a fur trading post.

Procedure

Large Group Work
Discuss the types of locations that students chose. Compare and contrast the different sites. Look at the differences and similarities between the sites. Some key questions:

Where do they think furs from Canada were obtained?
What would be the easiest way to transport those furs for different regions (especially the interior) to Europe?
Using a standard map of the world, discuss what the easiest routes would be for the transportation of furs.

Brainstorm what kinds considerations might have to be made when building a trading post. Some suggestions:

Weather
Materials available
Defence
Storage space for goods
Living areas

Retain the results of the discussions in a prominent place so that students may refer to them in their small group work.

Small Group Work
Students are invited to brainstorm criteria that should be considering in choosing a site.

Criteria might include weather, transportation, competition, neighbours and access to supplies. Using these criteria and a map of Canada with rivers and lakes, students decide, as if they were an Hudson's Bay Co. official in the 18th or 19th century, where would they build 5 trading posts.

For each of these, they should make a list of reasons they chose that location.
They must also make a list of reasons that that location might not be perfect.

Small Group or Individual Work
Students are invited to create an artistic representation of what their trading post would look like (two- or three- dimensional). The creation should reflect the geography and climate of the location, and other factors previously discussed in large group work. The post should be presented to the class with:

A name for the post
A list of the advantages and disadvantages of the location
A list of stores, equipment and trading supplies that would be in the post
(They will be able to obtain this information from the Exploration, the Fur Trade and Hudson's Bay Company site, and may choose extra supplies).
They are encouraged to present the information in a manner that evokes the spirit of the period (i.e. weather paper using tea bags, weather edges, use calligraphy, etc.)

Source: A list of trading goods in Albany Fort America, 1706
URL: http://www.canadiana.org/eco/_popups/albany_e.htm

Summary
As a class, discuss different locations that were chosen. What were the major criteria in making the decisions?

Visit the maps on the Exploration, the Fur Trade and Hudson's Bay Company Web site.

Where were HBC posts located?
Were their choices the same or different?

Evaluation
See the Assessment Sheet. Educators may also wish to use student-developed rubrics.

Homework/Extension
Students could use their notes and artistic representation to create a fictional story about a personality at the post. Some suggestions:

The Chief Factor, who has to protect his post from an attack by the French
An fur trader who feels he has been cheated
A European woman who has just arrived at the (almost entirely male) fort
An Aboriginal women working at the fort (Aboriginal women did many of the menial tasks, and were also often taken as "country wives" by traders and explorers)
A dog used to pull sleds in the far north.