There were thousands of trappers looking for furs all through the Rocky Mountains and Canada. It took only about ten years for the animals to become scarce. Beaver, which had been hunted to make beaver hats were almost hunted to extinction and then fancy people in the east and Europe decided they wanted silk hats and the market for beaver died.
Because many believed there could be gold and many other riches that were undiscovered and also wished in claiming new land for wars in case another broke out
