Although the Hudson Bay Company operated most of the trading posts, there were also independent traders across the region. Bob Alexander and Kenneth McDougall with a customer at McDougall's Store in Red Lake (1950). A replica of McDougall's Store now serves as the Red Lake Museum's gift shop and Tourist Information Bureau.
Until the 1950s, trapping was the principal occupation of most Native people in the area. Except for a small number of men who went to work in the gold mines of Red Lake and Pickle Lake, virtually every male over the age of sixteen was a licensed trapper.
Over the last 20 years the animal rights movement has nearly destroyed the fur industry, severing the very lifeline of many of the First Nations people in the region. A lynx pelt that sold for $600 in the late 70s now sells for only $40. Trapping today is more of a hobby than a way of making a living.
Since the decline of the fur trade, it has been a major challenge for Native people living in isolated communities to find meaningful, permanent employment. The Northern Chiefs Council, which represents six communities north of Red Lake, continues to explore various economic development opportunities, such as cultural and eco-tourism and small scale businesses.
