needs came from two principal sources: one was the merchant class of the eastern seaboard and Europe; the other was the church. There was some government aid too, mostly by way of trading privileges in the country to be opened up. But whether backed by private capital, church, or state, the adventurous fur traders and missionaries, who struggled side by side, were explorers and discoverers primarily, and upon their explorations and discoveries rests their fame, rather than upon trade or spiritual conquest.
First the French, and later the English traders penetrated the trackless wilderness of what is now Northwestern United States—the country west of the Great Lakes. To compensate for the expense and hazard of the commercial expeditions, there must be promise of large profits and quick returns, hence trade must be in articles of high value, and to make the venture possible at all, the goods to be transported must be light and manageable. Beaver, mink, fox, ermine, and other furs met these requirements. The abundance of supply along the countless lakes and streams, and the eagerness of the Indians for trinkets, beads, bright colored cloths and blankets, knives, guns, and other manufactured articles, not to mention whiskey, for which an Indian would barter all he had or ever hoped to have, made the skins procurable at little cost.
As early as 1659, Radisson and Groseillers were along the upper Mississippi and some of its tributaries, speculating on the possibilities of the fur trade in the great region to the west of Lake Superior and Lake Michigan. As a result of their investigations in this region, as well as the country north of the Great Lakes and around Hudson's Bay, they carried to France, and then to England, a most enthusiastic account of the profits to be made. Through the influence of Prince Rupert, they finally succeeded in having two ships, the Eaglet and the Nonsuch, fitted out in 1668 to make a trial trip from
