During the Fur Trade they didn't have many ways of transportation. Mostly it was just by canoes and York boats or else they would travel by foot on snowshoes, or by dog sled.
The York boats usually brought people over along with many other goods. One of the most popular things that were being traded were beaver furs for hats.
Fur Trade Canoes
The canoes used during the Fur Trade in North America were a direct outgrowth of the Native birchbark canoes, probably originating as a modification of the Algonkin style canoe. These canoes are commonly called voyaging canoes and were built in a range of rather standardized sizes depending on the conditions they were intended to be used in.
Montreal Canoes were the largest of the voyaging canoes. These were usually about 33 to 26 feet in length and were used on the larger waterways of the main trade routes. These canoes could carry a total weight of 7,000 to 9,000 pounds, including the paddlers.
The Bastard Canoe was about 28 to 33 feet in length and had a capacity between that of the Montreal Canoe and the North Canoe.
Lines of a 29' 11" Bastard Canoe
Photo of a 28" 9 1/2" Bastard Canoe
The North Canoe was the most used canoe in the interior waters. It was usually about 24 to 28 feet in length and could carry a total of about 3,000 pounds, including the crew.
The smallest voyaging canoe was the Half-Sized or 16-Piece Canoe. It usually was about 18 to 24 feet in length.
Lines of a 20' 1" 16-Piece Canoe
Photo of a 20' 9 3/4" 16-Piece Canoe
Colonial bateau of 1776, used along the Upper St. Lawrence River. This bateau is 30feet long, has a beam of 6 feet and 6 inches, and a draft of 2 feet and 10 and one-half inches.
A North West canoe on the Mattawa River, a crucial link in the fur trade
