Transcript for Snake River Fur Post Field Trip Video

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Narrator: Warm hat. Warmer hat! Big hat. Bigger hat! Fancy hat. Fancier hat! In the winter...

Student: It's really warm.

Narrator: Hats keep us warm.

Student: Because it's so cold.

Narrator: But hundreds of years ago in Europe, men wore expensive hats made of beaver fur to show they were rich and fancy.

Man: I've got the fanciest fur hat of them all!

Narrator: And a lot of that beaver fur came from? Yep, Minnesota! Before it was even a state.

Student: Feels soft.

Narrator: Beaver hats were big business here and across the world.

Student: What's up there?

Narrator: That's just one of the cool things you'll learn when you visit the Snake River Fur Post.

Interpreter: Fur trade is a business, you know. It was a business that was in this very place 206 years ago.

Students: Whoa!

Narrator: You'll see what the fur post would have looked like back then.

Student: Guys, this is cool!

Narrator: The fur post was like a store. (beeping) But instead of using money like yours, Ojibwe Indians bought things with fur from animals they hunted. Fur traders took that fur and sent it to Europe to make those fancy hats.

Student: The Ojibwe could come in here, give a bunch of furs and they could actually get a bunch of things off the shelves and stuff.

Interpreter: Absolutely right.

Narrator: You'll find out what happened outside the fur post too.

Interpreter: This whole territory was homeland to the Ojibwe.

Narrator: You'll huddle inside a wigwam.

Interpreter: Find a place to sit on the blankets.

Narrator: And hear how Ojibwe families survived the winter.

Interpreter: This is a warm and cozy place to live.

Student: I loved to listen to the story cause I could picture what happened in the past.

Narrator: And you'll see sparks fly.

Interpreter: This is a tool for making fire.

Narrator: A match didn't make that fire. Do you know what did? Think about it. Talk about it. And find out the answer...

Student: It's super fun and have a good time.

Narrator: When you visit the Snake River Fur Post!

Man: Feverishly fashionable and ferociously fancy fur hats! (music)