Fur Tables
Post for the Fur Market
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The Fur Auction: (Note: not a post about the ethics of trapping). This was held every year in the Ukrainian Hall. The trappers would bring their furs in and sell them at the auction. In the boom years, they received $600,000. In the bust years $150,000. It is part of the economy of some small northern communities. Some articles say that the auction was not about money, it was about tradition. The fur trade was part of Manitoba history since the 1700’s, especially with the Hudson Bay Company. I wonder where are the furs are going. Wearing furs is not so fashionable in North America. One article stated that the furs are bought up by China.
In 2016, the overall revenue for this year’s annual fur tables. Ninety-nine trappers gathered at St. Joseph’s between Dec. 16-17, selling $166,928 worth of fur, $151,080 of which came from marten……
It’s a paltry sum compared to the $400,000-600,000 that changed hands at the table only a few years ago, when fur prices were stellar and winter roads held firm under winter tires. ……
But for all of its challenges, the fur tables were at the very least a perfect scene: the -30C day outside gave way to the rich scents of game and warm furs, blended with wafts of coffee and pastries sold at the door (including, yes, cinnamon buns). In the corner, Boles and fellow trappers gave trapping and skinning demonstrations to roughly 200 elementary-aged kids throughout the weekend, teaching time-honoured history and modern tradition, while vendors sold trapping supplies and fur goods alike.
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