A taste for the finer things

What often motivated the exploration of distant lands was a taste for finer things: gold, exotic spices, furs. So the path to western Canada was opened up to bring beaver pelts back to England to be fashioned into fancy top hats for the high society of the day. “Profit and Ambition – the Canadian Fur Trade, 1779-1821” is an exhibit that portrays the explorers, adventurers, and trappers who forged our country … and our taste for finer things.

Fortitude in distress

Montreal fur traders came together to found the North West Company in 1779. Over 40 years, they built a veritable empire that controlled over 80% of commerce in the North. Railways and roads didn’t exist, so trappers relied on canoes and rivers for their westward trek and return to Montreal. But what did these men do when winter paralyzed their watery highways?

It may have been a taste for luxury that brought them here, but the British also brought with them a lifestyle that favoured decadence. In 1785, a handful of them founded the Beaver Club. The 19 members met in an ad hoc manner every two weeks in different locations. Between April and December, their delectable dinners pumped the heart of Montreal society.

Membership in the club was exclusive – only by unanimous vote were men who had journeyed to and wintered in the North West admitted. Their motto, “fortitude in distress”, is a reminder of the harsh conditions they faced on the hostile terrain.

Take a sip, it’s delicious …

More than just an opportunity to strengthen ties between fur traders, a Beaver Club gathering was a time for excess. The obligatory five minimum toasts became legendary – the members indulged in food and drink until the wee hours of the morning, regaling one other with tales of their voyages.

The meal typically began with a flambéed wild boar’s head, followed by braised game, sausages, partridge, and a bevy of liqueurs. A receipt from 1808 indicates that 31 members drank no less than 29 bottles of Madeira, 19 bottles of port, 14 bottles of Porter, 12 litres of beer, not to mention brandy and gin … and broke three wine glasses. These meals apparently began at 4:00 pm and lasted until the last man fell off his chair.

Pushing even further the envelope on decadence, drunken guests once challenged each other to see who could dance on the tables without breaking anything. Perhaps not surprisingly, plates, glasses, and bottles became shards – the bill showed 120 bottles of wine for just twelve people. We now know that Mackenzie, McGill, McTavish, McGillivray, and other big names of the day knew how to have a good time.

The legacy lives on

The decline of the North West Company signaled an end to the Beaver Club and it wound down in 1827. But 130 years later, the legend was revived – a new Beaver Club opened its doors in 1958 and became a hot spot for Montreal’s elite businessmen of the day. In 1989, the club welcomed the first women through its doors; and in 1992, Lise Watier was the first woman to be elected club president.

Housed in the luxurious Fairmont the Queen Elizabeth hotel and steps from Côte du Beaver Hall which commemorates the business hub of the North West Company, the Beaver Club is now an upscale restaurant open to the public. Alongside an impressive fine dining menu, the Club serves up a delicious taste of Canadian history.

Profit and Ambition – the Canadian Fur Trade, 1779-1821 is on display at the Canadian Museum of Civilization until September 12, 2010.