Hudson Bay Point Blanket Update

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Hudson Bay point blanket was essentially the primary form of currency between European traders and Canada's First Nations (Native Canadians) and Native Americans (Native Americans). The blankets were used as trade for assorted goods but primarily for beaver pelts, which at the time were highly sought after for use in the European hat making industry.

These blankets from Hudson Bay first appeared in the 1780's and are still available today in various colors and sizes. They aren't cheap and you're not likely to find them anytime soon at Walmart, Canadian Tire, or even Tim Horton's-although you may want to stop by Tim's at your earliest convenience and wash down a maple sugar donut with a piping hot cup of Tim's finest roast bean.
At the time of this post, I'm giving consideration to making it official that every cabin and cottage in North America should not be considered "fully outfitted" until it's home to at least one of these darn blankets. I'll of course let you know if I make that declaration official.

During our recent stay at the Blickstead Cottage in the Highlands of Halliburton, I had the pleasure of reading up on the HBC point blanket, compliments of our good friend "Martimus" who strategically and thoughtfully placed a book about its history on the nightstand beside our most comfortable guest bed. I know it must have been Martimus who put it there because had it been her life partner (husband if you prefer) Major Rick, it would have likely been either a sword, a Cuban cigar or perhaps a nearly consumed bottle of very expensive single malt/single batch Scotch whiskey (not that there would have been anything wrong with that).

In any regard, should you decide to look into purchasing a point blanket for your private use, I recommend you not just grab your mobile device and jump on Amazon.com, hellbent on rushing into a purchase without clearly and soberly thinking it through; that would not be prudent. From what I understand, these blankets are one-of-a-kind and come in many colors, shapes and sizes, like some of the Canadian CEO's I've ran into over the years.

As I conduct further research into Hudson Bay's most famous wool widget "Of All-Time", I'll keep you posted....