Beavers were a big reason that a fur trading post was set up at Historic Dunvegan
Channel: RhPAP
Date: 2023-05-19

Beaver hats were all the rage in Europe in the early 1800s. They commanded a hefty price.

So, beaver pelts were in big demand too.

There were lots of beaver in the Dunvegan area back then. Dunvegan was a local gathering place for indigenous people including the Dunne-Za. Their name means "those who live among the beaver".

Dunvegan, Alberta is located an hour's drive north of Grande Prairie.

In 1805, the North West Company built the first fur trading post in Dunvegan. The area flourished. The North West Company eventually became Hudson's Bay Company.

In the early 1900s, fur trading declined and the Hudson's Bay post at Dunvegan shut down in 1918.

Today, Dunvegan is a provincial park. Original buildings have been restored or replicated. 

Each summer, historic interpreters don period costumes and share stories of the fur trading past with visitors.

Historic Dunvegan is open from the long weekend in May through the long weekend in September.

Discover more at www.historicdunvegan.ca.