California Hide Trade

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The California Hide Trade was a system of trade during the early 1800s. A sailing ship would leave an East Coast port, often Boston or New York City, loaded with manufactured goods. The ship would then proceed to sail around Cape Horn to the California coast. The ship would then proceed to trade manufactured goods for cow hides. Often, these transactions would take place with the Spanish Missions of California. Once a full hull of hides was acquired, the ship would then proceed back to the East Coast where it would sell the hides and repeat the process. The California Hide Trade was made famous by Richard Henry Dana, Jr.'s book, Two Years Before the Mast. In his book, Dana tells of his voyage to California on board the Pilgrim (brig) and the subsequent trading along the pristine coast.