Middleman fur trade
It is known that the Algonquin Indians began using birch bark canoes patterned after those designed by the Ojibwe around the time the fur trade began. As the fur trade expanded, so did the use of the birch bark canoe. Construction of canoes became a significant industry all along the trade routes. Canoe Types. Several different types of canoes were used. They differed mostly in length and the number of men they could carry along with the trade goods or fur pelts.