Coureur des bois

As a Ranger (French coureur des bois or coureur de bois ) fur traders in North America are referred to at the beginning of colonial history. In contrast to the large trading companies with their agents and branches they went on their own out into the country, lived with the Indians, hunted with them and exchanged a their furs. The beginnings of the fur trade date back to the French Compagnie de la Nouvelle France of the year 1627 and its predecessors, which is why language and customs of the early fur traders were French influenced. The coureurs arose when the Compagnie wanted to enforce their trade monopoly.

The first known Coureurs were Médard Chouard, Sieur of Groseilliers and Pierre -Esprit Radisson, with 60 canoe loads of furs to Trois -Rivières came back in 1660 after they had started the previous year as the first White to the Great Lakes. They and their successors played a significant role in the exploration of the continent, they made ​​contact with the Indian nations, and opened trade routes.

The great age of independently acting Coureurs came to an end than at the beginning of the 18th century, new trade associations such as the Hudson's Bay Company or the North West Company itself were advancing with retailers and offices in the North American continent. From the French-born population and the coureurs then the vast majority of the voyageurs were recruited who took over transport duties for the companies in the rivers. They are regarded as the successor to the Coureurs. Trapper self occurred in the 19th century in the Rocky Mountains again, as Mountain Men no longer furs ankauften only by the Indians, but even as trappers went into the wilderness. Developed by the Rocky Mountain Fur Company supply the trappers by Rendezvous allowed in the 1830s and 1840s also independent trappers to operate in the mountains on his own account.

The role of Ranger has been the subject of novels such as The Leatherstocking Tales (1821 ) by James Fenimore Cooper or Le coureur du bois ( 1850) by Gabriel Ferry, the Karl May translated edited and published as The Ranger (1879 ).