But the miners weren’t the first people hoping to make their fortune here. Early explorers from Europe and America came
to Canada and the northwest coast in their sailing ships over 200 years before. They were looking for a shortcut to the East, with its silks and spices and valuable trading goods.

They didn’t find silks and spices in this wild, rugged land, but they did find a huge source of furs, which were greatly valued in China and Europe.

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