Question: who were the coureurs de bois and how did they contribute to the economic success of new france

title: Coureur des bois
text: A coureur des bois ( French pronunciation : ​ ( kuʁœʁ de bwa ) ) or coureur de bois ( French pronunciation : ​ ( kuʁœʁ də bwa ) , runner of the woods ; plural : coureurs de bois ) was an independent entrepreneurial French - Canadian trader who traveled in New France and the interior of North America . They ventured into unsettled areas ( the woods ) usually to trade with First Nations peoples : exchanging various European items for furs . Along the way they learned the trades and practices of the Native people . These expeditions were part of the beginning of the fur trade in the North American interior . Initially they traded for coat beaver but , as the market grew , coureurs de bois were trapping and trading prime beavers whose skins were to be felted in Europe . 

Answer: answer: A coureur des bois or coureur de bois, runner of the woods ; was an independent entrepreneurial French - Canadian trader who traveled in New France and the interior of North America. They ventured into unsettled areas (the woods) usually to trade with First Nations peoples: exchanging various European items for furs. These expeditions were part of the beginning of the fur trade in the North American interior.