Each year at the Ronnyvous, fur company's would haul their goods all the way from St. Louis, and sell them to the trappers. Money was the Beaver pelt, called a Plew, and it was weighed by the pound.  At the Rendezvous of 1832, held on the Green River, Beaver was being bought at $4.00 to the pound, and a Prime Plew (weighing about 1.5 pounds) would bringing the Trapper $6.00. I might add here, that in St. Louis, traps were selling for about $20 a dozen.  At Ronnyvous, they were sometimes as much as $5 each to replace them.  You definately took care of your traps....

        For example, a Free Trapper worked most of the Fall and into the winter for 233 Plews (this number used for example only). Beaver taken in the Spring and Summer were too thin on hair to be of much value. Traders wanted good, hairy plews for their money. The Clerk that worked for the Company would "grade" the plews into Prime, Good, or Poor quality.  He would tell the Trapper that he had brought in the following:

                      58 Poor for 89 pounds totaling.........$356.00
                      92 Good for 142 pounds totaling......$568.00
                      82 Prime for 124 pounds totaling......$496.00

        At this point, the Clerk would give the Trapper a voucher for credit at the store for the Company.  In this case, the voucher was for  $1,420.  Out of this, the Trapper would buy the following items at the stated prices: (Unless noted, price refers to the dollar))

                   Trade cloth............................... 10 a yard
                  New Pistol................................ 50
                   Whitney Blankets...................... 10 a point (refers to size) Avg 4 pts
                   Regular white wool blankets....... 20 each
                   Generic Stripped Blankets.......... 15 each
                   Vermilion Paint (for trading)......   8 a pound
                   Finger Rings (for trading)...........  .75 a dozen
                   Bracelets (for trading)................  1 a dozen
                   Trade Beads.............................  6 a pound (called Pony Beads)
                   Beaver Traps............................  20 a dozen
                   Ribbon (for trading)...................  10 a yard
                   Hand Mirrors............................  .75 a dozen
                   Galena Lead.............................   1.60 a pound
                   English Black Powder...............   4.60 a pound (best grade powder)
                   Mexican Black Powder.............   2.50 a pound
                   French Amber Flints.................    .65 a dozen
                   Hickory  "wipin sticks"..............   1.25 each
                   Square Axe...............................   3.00 each
                   Green River Knives...................     .90 each
                   Brass Tacks..............................    .60 a dozen
                   Firesteels and Awls....................   2.50 a dozen
                   Coffee......................................   2 a pound (green beans)
                   Flour........................................   2.65 a pound
                   Sugar.......................................    3 a pint
                   Tobacco...................................    2.80 a pound
                   Pepper.....................................    7.50 a pound

        As you can tell, prices were rather steep, even for the 1830s.  The Trapper worked from sun up to sun down, for months, in freezing water, snow, the possibility of Blackfoot or other Indians liftin his scalp, all for $1420 !!  Was it worth it?  Well, if you could ask them, I have a feeling they would say it was. They were their own men... answering to no Booshway of a fur company.  One word fits their way of life to a "T".....