Beaver, Blankets, Liquor, and Politics Pemaquid’s Fur Trade, 1614-1760

Abstract

The trading posts at Pemaquid typified the transactions, administrative phases, and cross-cultural contacts that made up the New England fur trade in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Using archaeological and documentary evidence, Neill DePaoli explores this important yet volatile industry through several stages, including early informal transactions, a merchant entrepreneurial phase, provincial supervision, and illegal exchanges during the closing years of the fort's significance.