A good business for women

Do you know what one of the best businesses for women was in early America? The fur business. Acting as middlemen, the French and the English had to work closely with the Indians who actually hunted the furs, so good interpersonal skills were required. Plus, the middlemen were often “on the road” for weeks or months and depended on their wives to mind the shop. Since the Europeans were crazy for fur from America, business was often good.

Magdelaine LaFramboise is a good example of a woman who thrived in the fur business. She and her husband ran their business in upper Michigan at the beginning of the 1800s, but her husband was shot and killed early in his life.

With her husband gone, she had to use her formidable language skills and relationships with various Indian tribes to operate as an independent trader, which she did for years. She also donated land to local churches and funded schools for Indian and Metis (mixed Indian and French) children along with her own children.

History contains lots of stories of extraordinary women like Magdelaine LaFramboise. You’ll be hearing more about them on this site.