Most European peltries have very coarse textured fur compared to North American varieties. The only exceptions are the Nordic and Far Eastern Russian peltries, but they are still inferior to North American peltries in terms of silkiness.
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The most valuable peltries come from eastern Canada which, although the smallest, are the silkiest and darkest.
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North American red foxes, particularly those of northern Alaska, are the most valued for their fur, as they have guard hairs of a silky texture, which, after dressing, allow the wearer unrestricted mobility. Red foxes living in southern Alaska's coastal areas and the Aleutian Islands are an exception, as they have extremely coarse pelts that rarely exceed one-third of the price of their northern Alaskan cousins. Most European peltries have coarse-textured fur compared to North American varieties. The only exceptions are the Nordic and Far Eastern Russian peltries, but they are still inferior to North American peltries in terms of silkiness.
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In January 1762, he settled in Montreal where he finally started his import-export business. He exported corn and peltries which he loaded aboard the trading vessels of the Watson & Rashleigh company (Brook Watson and Robert Rashleigh) bound for England and Spain. In return he imported various goods from Europe such as spirits and products for domestic use. His trade was prosperous. Between 1772 and 1776, he exported approximately 35,000 minots of corn, 800 pea minots plus some peltries, and imported great quantities of goods which he sold off in the district of Montreal.
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Wolf fur coat Wolf pelts are primarily used for scarfs and the trimmings of women's garments, though they are occasionally used for jackets, short capes, coats, mukluks and rugs. The quality of wolf peltries rests on the density and strength of the fur fibre, which keeps the fur upright and gives the pelt an appealing bushy aspect. These characteristics are mostly found in northern wolf populations, but gradually lessen further south in warmer climates. North American wolf pelts are among the most valuable, as they are silkier and fluffier than Eurasian peltries.
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Aside from bodily protection and adornment, gray wolf pelts have also been used as camouflage in hunting and warfare, as an insignia among western Native Americans and as a form of currency. The quality of wolf peltries rests on the density and strength of the fur fibre, which keeps the fur upright and gives the pelt an appealing bushy aspect. These characteristics are mostly found in northern wolf populations, but gradually lessen further south in warmer climates. North American wolf pelts are among the most valuable, as they are silkier and fluffier than Eurasian peltries.
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Other goods, including firearms, gunpowder and lead bullets were exchanged with the Indians in return for deer hides and peltries. Hides, cotton, tobacco, sugar, rum and rice were taken back to England and sold to purchase merchandise for the next round of trade. All of the partners of Panton, Leslie and Company were Scots who remained British loyalists or Tories during the American Revolutionary War. The decision was pragmatic because their trade depended on English manufactured goods.
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Jacob Yoder (August 11, 1758 - April 7, 1832) was a pioneer of Swiss descent. He was born in Reading, Pennsylvania and died in Spencer County, Kentucky. After serving through the American Revolutionary War in the Pennsylvania line, he built a large boat at Fort Red Stone (now Brownsville), on Monongahela River, which he freighted with flour and carried to New Orleans in May, 1782. With the profits of this venture he bought peltries which he sold in Havana, investing the proceeds in sugar for the Philadelphia market.
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Chicago Businessman Portus B. Weare Portus Baxter Weare (January 1, 1842 - February 23, 1909) was born in a log cabin at Otsego, Michigan, then a remote settlement. His wilderness childhood led him into an early career as a fur trader. He met Captain John Jerome Healy at his trading post at Fort Benton, Montana and the two men began to work together in the fur trade. By the mid-1880s, many of the peltries were in decline due to over hunting, so Weare moved on to grain trading in Chicago.
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During the 1870s buffalo became scarce on the Canadian Prairies. Laird warned the federal government of the problem: > The threatened early extinction of the Buffalo is a question of grave > importance to the North West Territories of the Dominion. The flesh of that > animal forms the principal means of subsistence of several of the Indian > tribes, as well as a large number of the Half-breeds. The traffic in Buffalo > peltries likewise enters largely into the trade of the country, and enables > the natives to procure many of the necessaries of life.
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Striped skunk peltries Tracks in the snow The striped skunk is one of North America's most sought after furbearers, and was once the second most harvested after the muskrat. Its fur is intrinsically valuable, being durable and having rich luster, though this trait decreases with wear and exposure to sunlight. Skunk pelts are divided into four grades, with the most prized being the ones with a greater amount of black. These grades are further subdivided in value according to their locality, with the most valuable occurring in northern regions, where the fur is finer and darker.
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