The $400 Million Fur Trade & The Hunt For Canada’s El Dorado

Credit: Real History

Step into Canada’s incredible past and discover the real stories behind its founding – from indigenous nations to daring explorers and the epic struggle for the fur trade.

In this captivating documentary, we meet extraordinary Canadians whose courage, ambition, and resilience transformed a vast and harsh land into a diverse, united nation. Explore the pivotal role of indigenous peoples who shaped Canada for millennia and established advanced democracies before European arrival. Learn about Samuel de Champlain’s determination to build New France amid brutal winters and political intrigue, and witness the complex alliances and fierce rivalries that defined early trade and survival on the continent.

The video traces breathtaking events like the founding of Quebec City, the birth of the fur trade driven by the beaver’s “fleecy gold,” and the alliances between French settlers and First Nations. Discover how the arrival of the King’s Daughters boosted New France’s population, and how bold traders unlocked the northern riches that changed Canada’s fate forever with the birth of the Hudson’s Bay Company. Relive the dramatic Battle of the Plains of Abraham, which sealed the fate of two empires and forever altered the destiny of the land. Through tales of hardship, resourcefulness, success, and tragedy (including the devastating toll of disease on indigenous peoples), this series brings to light the complexity, diversity, and ongoing legacy that define the Canadian experience.

Whether you’re interested in Canadian history, indigenous cultures, the fur trade, or epic tales of exploration, this video is an unmissable journey through the stories and struggles that shaped a nation.