While in this newfound land, we came into contact along the mouth of the St. Lawrence River at the French fisheries with Huron Indians wearing nice robes of a fine fur that was made of beaver. There weren't any in France so we inquired how and where we could get our hands on it and those Indians refused to satiate our quest for those fine furs, so we established a trading offer. If we gave them iron, they would give us their fine robes of luxuriant fur. This trade extended from Quebec, St. Maurice, Montreal, and then to Ottawa. This became known as the fur trade and was very beneficiary to both parties. In 1608, I came back into Quebec and established it as a fur trading city that became very prosperous and was the center of all fur trading posts. The Indians got their fair share out of this as well...after all, we did have a continuous supply of kettles, knives, and other gifts to keep them happy. Friendly relations with the Indians was very important to us.
-Samuel de Champlain
