Importance of the Beaver in 1800's; Oregon Territory

The Importance of the Beaver

The beaver were important because Englishmen made hats out of their fur; it was the status symbol of the rich Englishman. To make the beaver fur soft they used the brain and rubbed it on the skin. They used mercury to get the guard hairs off the beaver to get down to the softer fur. The mercury made hat makers crazy so we got the phrase “mad hatter”. The hats were made in England. After they were finished the hat was $500. It was this much because the hat is water proof and took lots of time to make. This all happened in the 19^th century. That is the early 1800’s.

 The beaver was almost extinct but the worms saved the beaver. The beaver hats were not in fashion anymore. Silk hats were in fashion. So they say the silk worms saved them. Can you believe the silk worm saved the beaver?. In many places there were no more beaver but in the last 200 years they have seen beavers in New York. 

Riley and Yadira.