Few people realize how important trapping of furbearing animals has been historically in Wisconsin.
Starting in the early 1600s, Europeans such as Jean Nicolet began exploring Wisconsin, lured by the promise of waters teeming with beaver. For nearly 200 years Europeans traded with local Indian trappers at trade centers such as Green Bay and Prairie du Chien. As white settlement expanded, trapping continued to play an important role in the development of the state. Since those early years, trapping in Wisconsin has changed a great deal. Furs are no longer brought down the Wisconsin River to trade for tools and flour.