Fur Fortune and Empire: The Epic History of the Fur Trade in America

Join best-selling author Eric Jay Dolin as he chronicles the dramatic rise and fall of the American fur industry, from its beginnings with the Pilgrims and early explorers to the advent of the conservation movement in the late 19th century in a slide-illustrated talk.

Driven by the demands of fashion and sparking intense competition, the fur trade helped shape the course of American history, spurring exploration, settlement, and growth of the United States while fueling wars and alternately enriching and damaging the lives of Native Americans.

Dolin’s book “Fur, Fortune, and Empire: The Epic History of the Fur Trade in America” was chosen one of the best nonfiction books by The Seattle Times and the Rocky Mountain Land Library in 2010 and won the James P. Hanlan Book Award given by the New England Historical Association in 2011.

Dolin is the author of numerous award- winning books about American history. His talk is supported in part by the Duxbury Cultural Council and the Alden Kindred of America.