Rocky Mountain House National Historic Site of Canada
Cultural Treasures
To learn more about the fur trade and the role Rocky Mountain House played in the fur trade, visit the following topics:
Visit Learning Experiences to learn about the following:
The Fur Trade
© Parks CanadaThe fur trade in Canada began off our eastern coast when the first European fishermen traded their personal belongings for furs from the Aboriginal people on shore.
Learn more about the Fur Trade
Beaver Hats
© Parks CanadaTo a large extent, the exploration of Western Canada during the fur-trade era and the founding and continuing existence of Rocky Mountain House resulted from a whim of fashion, the on-going popularity of the beaver hat in Great Britain and Europe.
Learn more about Beaver Hats
The Early Trading Posts
© Parks CanadaIn January of 1866, a missionary visiting Rocky Mountain House described the post as "roughly built but strongly made."
Learn more about the Early Trading Posts
Five Fur Traders
Hundreds of men lived at the various fur-trade posts at Rocky Mountain House from the time the first posts were built in 1799 until the last was abandoned in 1875.
Learn more about Five Fur Traders
Aboriginal Peoples and the Fur Trade
© Parks CanadaWhen the North West Company erected Rocky Mountain House and the Hudson's Bay Company built Acton House close by, they hoped to attract the trade of the Kootenay First Nation who resided west of the Rockies.
Learn more about Aboriginal Peoples and the Fur Trade
David Thompson
Surveying and mapping the uncharted West became Thompson's ambition and eventually his greatest achievement. From this time onward he surveyed wherever he travelled in the West.
Learn more about David Thompson
Educational Resources - Films and Videos
Learn more about Educational Resources