"New France Fans Out"

The beaver was one of New France's msot valuable resources, attracting French fur-trappers called coureurs du bois (literally, "runners of the woods").


The coureurs du bois, such as the ones depicted here, nearly decimated the beaver population in northern North America, leaving behind disastrous ecological damage.



The coureurs du bois also recruited natives to their service, who agreed to assist them in the beaver hunt, somewhat relucantly. Natives were badly impacted by diseases carried by the Europeans. In addition, hunting the beaver violated many natives' reigious beliefs.



Meanwhile, Jesuit priests became involved, hoping for Indians to convert. While rather usnuccessful in that aspect, they did assist as explorers and geographers.



In 1682, the explorer Robert La Salle, hoping to cut off the incoming Spanish, sailed down the Mississippi River and claimed its basin, Louisiana, for France- a massive addition to the empire. Curiously, he never did return to the delta region, now the state of Louisiana, for when he sailed to the Gulf of Mexico, he only reached Texas and was there murdered by the Spanish.



In 1718, the French expanded upon LaSalle's work, reaching the river delta. They established a fort at the mouth of the river, called New Orleans. From this fort they had control of the Mississippi River, a valuable assett. The French continued to be at odds with the Spanish, competing for domination of the Gulf of Mexico.



So, by this time, the lands of New France has expanded to cover much of North America, France now claiming the alrgest piece of territory on the continent. But things rarely stay the same for very long...