Confronting the Wilderness In summer the northern land now known as Canada swarmed with biting flies. In winter it was a place of aching cold, echoing to the calls of ravens and howls of wolves. But this endless maze of forests and secret waterways was also home to innumerable beavers, lynx, otters and black bears - all with soft, thick fur. In the 17th-century, these lustrous pelts became the lure for exploration as French and English traders rivalled for business with Indian trappers.