Saskatchewan s Early Trade Routes: The Impact of Geography on Trade

Transcription

1 Saskatchewan s Early Trade Routes: The Impact of Geography on Trade Lesson Overview In this lesson, students will compare and contrast prehistoric First Nations trade routes and trade goods with the routes and goods traded in the fur trade era and present day in order to learn about the impact of physical and human geography on trade in Saskatchewan. Grade Level Grades 9-12 (secondary school) Time Required Teachers should be able to conduct the lesson in one or two classes Curriculum Connection (Province/Territory and course) Saskatchewan History 30 Unit 1: Relationships People and Paradigms Topic: The People and the Land - The Fur Trade: A Pattern of Exploitation Link to the Canadian Atlas Online (CAOL) / Additional Resources, Materials and Equipment Required Quest For The Bay video series (for additional and extended learning) Historical Atlas of Canada: Volumes 1 and 2 Computers with Internet access Outline maps of North America 1 for each student Drainage map of Canada 1 for each student Political map of Western Canada 1 for each student Main Objective To compare the trade routes of pre-historic first nations, fur traders and the present day as they impact and influence the physical and human geography of Saskatchewan. Learning Outcomes By the end of the lesson, students will be able to: Predict where ideal fur trade posts would be located to maximize trade Identify major Saskatchewan fur trade posts involved in the fur trade era and explain what geographical importance they had in their placement and location Compare and contrast prehistoric First Nations trade routes and trade goods with the routes and goods traded in the fur trade era Compare and contrast the prehistoric trade routes and the fur trade routes with present day trade routes that cover the province of Saskatchewan with respect to geographical location of the major routes, the trade goods transported, the vehicles used to transport goods and the time it takes for goods to get to their destinations. Predict future trends in trade routes and goods in and out of the province. 1

2 The Lesson Introduction How will the lesson open? The Lesson Teacher Activity Using the map feature in the Canadian Atlas Online, show students a map of Canada with only the water bodies and rivers selected. Ask them to pick 10 major locations where they would set up fur trade forts to maximize profit if they were the directors of the Hudson Bay Company (HBC) or North West Company (NWC) at this time. Ask them to think about what factors about their choices make them ideal locations for both the fur trade companies and the First Nations with which they are trading. Student Activity View the map showing Canada with only major water bodies. Select the 10 best locations where fur trade forts should be built to maximize trade with the First Nations. For each location, be able to give 2 major reasons why the location is desirable for both the fur trade company and the First Nations. Ask students to compare their predictions with Vol. 2 Plate 62 Trading Posts and Vol. 2 Plate 17 The Fur Trade Northwest to 1870 How many were close to locations chosen by the companies? View Vol. 2 Plate 62 Trading Posts and Vol. 2 Plate 17 The Fur Trade Northwest to 1870 and compare with your predicted locations. How close were you to choosing profitable and strategically-important fur trade locations that were actually used in the fur trade? Plot important fur trade posts in Saskatchewan and be able to explain in general geographical terms why these locations were chosen. Lesson Development Detail point by point how the Ask students to view Vol. 1 Plate 14 Prehistoric Trade and create a summary of the general patterns of trade and View Vol. 1 Plate 14 Prehistoric Trade and create a summary of the general patterns of 2

3 lesson will develop by student and teacher activity Conclusion How will the lesson conclude? What final product or culminating activity is expected? the products traded at this time. Compare the findings about early trade routes from Plate 14 with Vol. 2 Plate 60- Bayside Trade Ask students to explore how trade routes and goods have changed for First Nations people in Saskatchewan in relation to the importance and reliance on the geographical area around the Hudson Bay and northwestern areas of Canada compared to prehistoric trade routes. Using the Canadian Atlas Online, ask students to view the same geographical area as viewed in the opening of the lesson, this time with major roadways and railways selected. Compare the current trade routes represented by roads and railways with the fur trade routes. What do they notice is similar and different about their location and density? Ask them to also compare and contrast the cargo carried, the geographical locations of the routes and the length of time to reach locations of the prehistoric, fur trade and present day trade routes. What do they notice? trade and the products traded at this time. Create a T-chart with Prehistoric Trade on one side and Bayside Trade on the other. Compare the findings about early trade routes from Plate 14 with Vol. 2 Plate 60- Bayside Trade Make notes about the differences in the T Chart and share your findings with the class. Prepare another T- Chart or Venn Diagram to illustrate the similarities and differences between present day trade routes in Saskatchewan with fur trade routes. Compare such things as: - location in the province where major routes are located then and now - physical geography of the land that these routes travel - amount and total distance of the routes - major destination points - methods and ways of transporting goods 3

4 - kinds of goods transported - length of time to get end to end on route - predict trade routes and modes of transportation in the future Lesson Extension Students could view segments of the series Quest For The Bay to further explore the working life of voyageurs in the fur trade for the Hudson Bay Company as they made their way on a well-used trade route from Winnipeg to York Factory. Students could build replica 3-D models of the different styles of fur trade posts commonly found in this early trade route, showing the local physical geography of the area and the human interaction around the trade centre. Assessment of Student Learning Given a blank map of North America, students should be able to sketch general directions of trade for First Nations in the geographical area now known as Saskatchewan and identify common items of trade. Given a blank map of the waterways of Canada, identify major locations of fur trade forts important to trade at this time, with at least one location in Saskatchewan, Fort William on Lake Superior and York Factory on Hudson Bay as 3 key locations. They should also be able to list several physical and human geographical considerations when fur traders decided on the location of a successful fort. Given a blank map of Western Canada, students should be able to sketch in major rail lines, airports and highways in the province indicating major trade routes today. They should be able to list items traded to other provinces and nations from Saskatchewan at present and predict possible trade goods in the future. Link to Canadian National Standards for Geography Essential Element # 2: Places and Regions Physical and human processes shape places and regions The importance of places and regions to individual and social identity Changes in places and regions over time Interdependence of places and regions 4

5 Essential Element #4: Human Systems Convergence and divergence of cultures Economic development by world regions, country and regions within countries Global economic interdependence (e.g. regional specialization, trade, transnationalism, multinationals) Acquiring geographic information Systematically locate and gather geographic information from a variety of primary and secondary sources Organizing geographic information Select and design appropriate forms of graphs, diagrams, tables and charts to organize geographic information. Analyzing geographic information Make inferences and draw conclusions from maps and other geographic representations. 5