The fur trade influenced the historical development of Canada in a number of ways including: the development and expansion into western and northern Canada; the significance of Canadian place names; the origin and rise of the Métis Nation; the impact of interaction between the First Peoples and the Europeans-and these connections can be found in personal and commercial stories about the people and events of the fur trade.
Daniel Williams Harmon (1778-1843), the son of a Vermont innkeeper, joined the North West Company in 1800 and became a "wintering partner" in 1818; however, he left the fur trade the following year, deeply affected by the death of his eldest son, and only returned to NWC service briefly in 1820-21.
His historical significance rests primarily on his personal journal, which he kept between 1800 and 1819, and published in the U.S. in 1820: it is a fascinating and moving narrative of the joys and struggles of everyday life in the fur trade.
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Read more excerpts from Daniel's journal - enter 'Harmon' in the search box to your left.
Check the Beaver Index - e.g., Children of the Pioneers, Corday Mackay, September 1948.
