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In the seventeenth century, fashionable and prosperous Europeans wore fur, such as beaver and fox. Hats made of felted beaver fur were very popular, and Europeans had depleted their own beaver supply. Settlers both trapped and traded for furs with Native Americans. Like the West Coast fur trade of the early nineteenth century, this was a profitable business.
A need for fishing and coasting vessels provided the impetus for the growth of shipbuilding in the colonial era, which also saw some vessels built for transatlantic carriage.
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