North Cascades

MARKETING THE WILDERNESS: DEVELOPMENT OF COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISES

TRAPPING AND THE FUR TRADE

Fur trapping in the North Cascades represents the earliest commercial use of the area's resources. Hide and fur for shoes, hats, and clothing were in demand in European fashion circles long before the Cascade Range was known to exist. Decades of trapping by British and French fur companies forced the trade westward from the North Atlantic coast where it had its origin, and by the beginning of the nineteenth century, fur trappers and traders had discovered the Columbia River basin and its untouched wealth of fur pelts. [1] It was only a matter of time before trappers penetrated the remote North Cascades.

Although the early trappers directed most of their attention to securing beaver pelts, other animals were trapped as well. Bears, wolves, lynx, fishers, muskrats, and foxes all furnished marketable pelts. [2] The skins of animals trapped along mountain streams and forests were transported to trading posts and forts established by various fur companies, including the dominant Hudson's Bay Company. Taking advantage of the Indians' knowledge of the vast region, white traders encouraged Native Americans to trap animals in exchange for goods and weapons.

Whether the early white trappers habitually trapped the region that is today's park is not known, but it seems unlikely that they did. The Hudson's Bay Company's Brigade Trail lay north of the area passing through Forts Hope and Langley enroute to the Thompson River. [3] The same company had a small trading post on what is today Ten Mile Creek, along the Nooksack River well to the west of present-day park boundaries. [4] The only major fur trading post in the vicinity of the park was Fort Okanogan, located near the confluence of the Okanogan and Columbia Rivers. This post was erected in 1811 and used by the Pacific Fur Company, the North West Company, and the Hudson's Bay Company, until the 1850s. Although some individuals have speculated that cabins extant in the Bridge Creek drainage on the east side of the divide may be trappers cabins associated with the Hudson's Bay Company, it seems unlikely that they date from this early period, given our knowledge of how the company's fur traders operated. Employees of fur companies stationed at these backcountry outposts rarely trapped themselves. Instead, they typically taught local Indians how to use trapping equipment and bring the pelts to the trading posts for exchange. [5]

There is only one documented account of a white fur trader entering the North Cascades at an early date. Alexander Ross, a Scotsman employed by the Pacific Fur Company, traveled up the Columbia River in 1811 and, with others, established Fort Okanogan. Basing his operation out of that post, Ross was able to collect more than 1500 beaver pelts in a single season. He explored the surrounding country during the summer of 1814 in search of new areas to trap. But Ross' larger purpose was to determine whether a feasible route existed between the inland trading posts and those located on Puget Sound. This journey led Ross through the area that is today's park, over the Cascade summit, and down the Skagit River. [6] From Ross' account, it appears that the North Cascades were generally unknown to the majority of traders operating in the territory. However, Hiram C. Chittenden, in his American Fur Trade of the Far West, stated that "the streams of the Cascade range.. .were thoroughly exploited by the Hudson Bay Company, and were as rich a field as the west afforded." [7] It is assumed that the Indians, particularly those who traded at Fort Okanogan, made their way along streams on the eastern slope of the Cascades in search of pelts for trade. [8]

The three major fur companies operated along the Columbia River for more than three decades, from approximately 1811 to 1846. After 1846, trapping activity slowed as the number of traders and active trading posts decreased and the number of over-trapped streams grew. In the late nineteenth century, however, as people began locating homes along the Skagit and Stehekin Rivers, a new type of fur trapper emerged as many of these early settlers and miners turned to trapping as a means of supplementing their meager wilderness existence.

Trapping was a seasonal activity and a strenuous one. Each winter hardy individuals working alone or in pairs would set up trap lines along ridges and in river bottoms. Out for weeks at a time in the cold and snow, these men usually returned with pelts that translated into substantial income. Beaver, mink, otter, marten, and lynx were some of the animals whose pelts were sold for cash. [9] Usually the pelts were prepared by the trapper and then shipped through Marblemount and Chelan (via Stehekin) to larger urban areas. Seattle, New York, and St. Louis were just a few of the cities with furriers who willingly accepted, graded, and sold pelts for a commission.

Trapping remained a viable activity for the settlers for many years. As administrator of the land, the USFS did not discourage settlers from earning an income in this manner. They issued permits enabling trappers to build cabins in the backcountry for use during the trapping season. These permits sold for $5 and were good for a single season, usually lasting 4-6 months from October through April. [10] A Cascade Mountains Study, completed in 1940 by the Washington State Planning Council, indicated that more than 200 trappers were operating in Chelan, Skagit, and Whatcom Counties. But a number of factors resulted in a decrease of this commercial activity in the North Cascades. Over-trapping, low prices brought by lack of demand, and a rise in the business of fur farming made trapping impractical. [11]

Since the establishment of North Cascades National Park in 1968 trapping has become a prohibited activity and is no longer a legal means of income for present residents.