vladimirmorozov
North American beaver (Castor canadensis)
To outsiders, it may seem odd that one of the most classic symbols of Canada is a bucktoothed furball that causes millions of dollars in property damage each year. But the mighty beaver played an important part in the country’s history, and its image remains proudly engraved into our currency.
Why? Because of the fur trade. But the fur trade was definitely a significant factor in the selection of the beaver as an official emblem of Canada. Without the beaver, Canada as we know it, would not exist. Everything changed the moment when early French explorers realized, “Well, they don’t have any gold, but damn! Those rodents would make good looking hats.” Beginning in the 16th century, the fur trade was the backbone of the colonial economy and a major international industry for roughly 300 years. The fur trade was instrumental in the development of the country that would become Canada. Those involved, be it explorers, voyageurs, or coureur des bois, pushed further and further into the North American interior to expand the trade—as well as France’s (and eventually Britain’s) claim over the land. At the heart of the fur trade was the beaver, whose pelts were used to make everything from wool felt hats to robes to winter coats. The use of the beaver as a symbol stems back to the main players of the fur trade, the Hudson’s Bay Company, who put the animal on their coat of arms in 1628.
The beaver was given official status as an emblem of Canada when “An Act to provide for the recognition of the Beaver (Castor canadensis) as a symbol of the sovereignty of Canada” received royal assent on March 24, 1975. However, the beaver was a part of the Canadian identity long before Parliament passed the National Symbol of Canada Act.
A beaver was depicted on a coat of arms granted in the 1620s to Sir William Alexander (who held Nova Scotia) by Charles I of England. It also appeared on the coat of arms of the newly incorporated city of Montréal in 1832 and on the first Canadian postage stamp in 1851. The G.E. Kruger Gray-designed five-cent coin, on which a beaver sits atop a log, has been in near-constant circulation since 1937.
Despite this recognition, the beaver was close to extinction by the mid-19th century. There were an estimated six million beavers in Canada before the start of the fur trade. During its peak, 100,000 pelts were being shipped to Europe each year; the Canadian beaver was in danger of being wiped out. Luckily, about that time, Europeans took a liking to silk hats and the demand for beaver pelts all but disappeared.
Today, thanks to conservation the beaver – the largest rodent in Canada – is alive and well all over the country.
North American beaver (Castor canadensis)
To outsiders, it may seem odd that one of the most classic symbols of Canada is a bucktoothed furball that causes millions of dollars in property damage each year. But the mighty beaver played an important part in the country’s history, and its image remains proudly engraved into our currency.
Why? Because of the fur trade. But the fur trade was definitely a significant factor in the selection of the beaver as an official emblem of Canada. Without the beaver, Canada as we know it, would not exist. Everything changed the moment when early French explorers realized, “Well, they don’t have any gold, but damn! Those rodents would make good looking hats.” Beginning in the 16th century, the fur trade was the backbone of the colonial economy and a major international industry for roughly 300 years. The fur trade was instrumental in the development of the country that would become Canada. Those involved, be it explorers, voyageurs, or coureur des bois, pushed further and further into the North American interior to expand the trade—as well as France’s (and eventually Britain’s) claim over the land. At the heart of the fur trade was the beaver, whose pelts were used to make everything from wool felt hats to robes to winter coats. The use of the beaver as a symbol stems back to the main players of the fur trade, the Hudson’s Bay Company, who put the animal on their coat of arms in 1628.
The beaver was given official status as an emblem of Canada when “An Act to provide for the recognition of the Beaver (Castor canadensis) as a symbol of the sovereignty of Canada” received royal assent on March 24, 1975. However, the beaver was a part of the Canadian identity long before Parliament passed the National Symbol of Canada Act.
A beaver was depicted on a coat of arms granted in the 1620s to Sir William Alexander (who held Nova Scotia) by Charles I of England. It also appeared on the coat of arms of the newly incorporated city of Montréal in 1832 and on the first Canadian postage stamp in 1851. The G.E. Kruger Gray-designed five-cent coin, on which a beaver sits atop a log, has been in near-constant circulation since 1937.
Despite this recognition, the beaver was close to extinction by the mid-19th century. There were an estimated six million beavers in Canada before the start of the fur trade. During its peak, 100,000 pelts were being shipped to Europe each year; the Canadian beaver was in danger of being wiped out. Luckily, about that time, Europeans took a liking to silk hats and the demand for beaver pelts all but disappeared.
Today, thanks to conservation the beaver – the largest rodent in Canada – is alive and well all over the country.