1602 George Weymouth sails through Hudson Strait, as the East india Company and the Muscovy Company are anxious to discover a northern passage to the Indies.

1603 The first permanent fur trading post is established in Canada. It is called Tadoussac and allows the French to export up to 6000 skins in just a few years. MAP

1604 in New France, a fur trade and settlement monopoly is granted to Pierre du Gua de Monts (named lieutenant-général in 1603). He is joined by merchants from Rouen, Saint-Malo, La Rochelle et Saint-Jean-de-Luz. This Société would hold a monopoly on the French fur trade until 1609.

1608 After founding Québec, Samuel de Champlain makes the first serious move into the interior of mainland America. He sends Etienne Brulé to live with the Huron Indians and to learn their language and trade routes. Champlain is one of the first Europeans to note the economic potential of birch bark canoes. MAP

1610 After voyages in 1607-8, Henry Hudson sets sail under the British flag toward the bay which now bears his name. He is unfortunately killed after a mutiny. He originally intended to find a route to China through northern waters. MAP

1613 In New France, a trading monopoly is provided to the Compagnie des Marchands for 11 years. Their territory extends from Québec all the way north until Matane. Six settler familes are established and the small trading post of Tadoussac becomes the short-lived "capital" of the fur trade in North America.

1618 Champlain obtains the permission to increase Québec's population to 80 people. Etienne Brulé arrives at Lake Superior, the first European to do so.

1627 The fur trade in New France is controlled by the Compagnie des Cents Associés. Through its influence, and the later Compagnie des Habitants, the French push inland, up the Saint-Lawrence and the Ottawa and to the Great Lakes. The Compagnie des Cents Associés allows for free fur trade among settlers but maintains a monopoly on export. MAP

1631 The Merchant Ventures of Bristol send out Thomas James and Luke Fox to the Churchill River to find a passage to the Indies. They explore the south coast of Hudson bay and winter on Charlton Island.

1632 The Compagnie des Habitants subcontracts a monopoly in the French fur trade from 1632 to 1637. The Compagnie prospers and its charter is renewed until 1641.

1634 Following the return of Québec to the French after its occupation by the British between 1628 and 1632, Jean Nicolet travels through the Great Lakes. Sent by Champlain to find a route to the famed Western Sea, Nicolet visits the future site of Green Bay and is the first European to travel on Lake Michigan.

1638 The British Parliament issues a proclamation, strictly forbidding the use of any material for the making of hats, with the exception of "beaver stuff" and "beaver wool".

1642 Ville-Marie (Montreal) is founded by Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve and la Société Notre-Dame de Montréal. The project is inspired by political, economic and religious interests. To the displeasure of Québec governor Montmagny, Montréal becomes the base of an expanding continental fur trade as a result of its advantageous location upriver from Québec and along a series of routes leading to the Outaouais River and the Great Lakes. MAP