When the U.S expanded westward beyond the Alleghenies in the early 19th century, the topographical engineers, whose task was to survey the land into townships and sections before it was settled, immediately followed the fur trappers.

FORBES: Readers Say

The Fur Auction got its start in 1670 as the Hudson's Bay Company, which bought furs from trappers and shipped them to London.

FORBES: Adventures in the Skin Trade