Beaver Hat - Mfg. Pease Bro's., Omaha - Size 8 - Beaver hats were all the rage in Europe for several hundred years. But they quickly depleted their supply of beaver there and had to look elsewhere. The new world had a seemingly endless supply. The farther north, the more beautiful the fur. All the trade goods were priced in beaver since beaver could be sold to the hatmakers for more profit than any other fur at auctions in Paris or London. The hatmakers would shave the hairoff the bide and send the hide to the glue factory. Note the two kindsof fur: the long hair and the short hair. They separated the hairs, discarding the long hairs. The short hair today can be felted using soapy water and still makes the most beautiful felt by far. It is still used in the best cowboy hats. In the early days mercury was usedand of course was very toxic. It affected the hatmakers neurologicallyand this is where we get the term "mad hatter." A beaver felt hat in Europe would cost almost a year's salary for a middle class man, so many had only one in their lifetime. Often it was wom til it was thread- bare; it was handed down to a son in a will, and was kept in aleather box under lock and key. This simple fashion statement and the profits it brought was the motivating force behind the fur traders whoforever changed life as it was known in North America!