Resource
Courting in the Fur Trade
Courtship has been a significant part of men and women's lives since time immemoriam. The rules of courtship however, have changed dramatically since the days of Edmonton's 1846 Hudson's Bay Fort.
- In 1846, there were very few European women in the West. This meant that there was a great deal of intermarriage between European fur traders and Native women.
- Native women were considered to be very valuable mates, as not only did they bring a great deal of local, traditional knowledge (of healing, of withstanding the harsh circumstances of life in the Northwest Territories) to the union, they also held political power in uniting European and Native interests.
- Male fur traders had to ask permission of the Native girl's family in order to court her, and had to offer significant financial recompense to her family should he wish to marry her. Because a Native woman was so valuable to her family, many men had to save for years in order to be able to afford to get married.
- Hudson's Bay employees also had to get the permission of the Chief Factor of the Fort (in 1846, the Chief Factor was John Rowand). This was often a tough sell, as Rowand believed that single men made better workers than married men, as single men's first obligation would be to the company, whereas married men's loyalty was to their families.
- John Rowand apparently softened his stance on marriage after he married himself, a union of great love that lasted until his death.
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