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Ohio Fur Trade Economics Simulation

Winter 2007

English Fur Traders with plenty of cooking pots for currency have obtained an excellent supply of beaver pelts from Iroquois Indians. They purchased the pots from the Dutch with English Crowns

Huron Indians eagerly trade their beaver pelts with French traders offering them Dutch guns. The Hurons have no use for European money but eagerly trade their pelts for guns, pots and whiskey.

French fur traders have plenty of francs left to buy more pots and guns to add to their growing supply of beaver pelts.

For the time being, Iroquois Indians have plenty of guns, pots and barrels of whiskey, but when their fur supply is depleted, they eventually will become poor.

A Huron travels north to an Algonquin tribe to obtain furs for trade with the French now that the fur supply in Huron lands has been depleted.

At the end of the simulation, each group assesses their wealth. French, English and Dutch traders have been made rich by the fur trade and Iroquois, Huron and Algonquin Indians are now poor having become dependent on European products and having no means to replace them.

 

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