How did the fur trade help Quebec city grow in its early years?

The fur trade was the primary catalyst for the establishment and early growth of Quebec city. By 1600, the rising value of furs prompted France to renew its interest in New France, leading Samuel de Champlain to establish a permanent base there in 1608.1

The city was specifically built as a "habitation"—a fortified fur-trading post—designed to control the St. Lawrence River and serve as an entrepôt for the fur trade. This strategic location provided the French with essential access to the North American interior. To secure this trade, the French formed alliances with the Algonquin and Huron peoples, which helped them navigate and control inland routes, such as the Ottawa River, to reach furs from as far away as the Great Lakes.21

While the fur trade was vital to the city's founding, it had a complex relationship with colonial development. The trade required few settlers beyond its own employees, and the allure of becoming coureurs de bois (fur traders) often drew young men away from agricultural work, which contributed to the relatively slow population growth of the region during its early years.23