 The Clearwater County Historical Society is featuring an exhibit that revisits the fur trade in Minnesota's era, in the Minnesota era. For this week's In Focus, Hady Clodder travels back in time when beavers and fur were all the craze. The fur trade in Minnesota may be considered the state's first global business, and if you ever wondered what it was like, the Clearwater County History Center has the answers with its latest exhibit. It's a little known part of our history, at least in our neck of the woods. During that time period, wealthy Europeans traded items with American Indians in exchange of fur. Beaver was the most prominent, and beaver pelts were transformed into stylish hats. We've never looked at the fur trade era, and so this was a great opportunity for us to have this specific exhibit, just to look at something different in our area. The fur trade in Minnesota exhibit has lots of interactive components to it. By watching this video, one can attempt to interpret what a French Ojibwe person is saying. Here, you can touch these beaver pelts and other furs. Being able to just touch the items is something that I think is unique about this particular exhibit. It's not all behind glass cases. It's not just something that you can read. There's a lot of things to touch and to get a feel for. This is a dress and try on a raccoon jacket or a bare coat. Back then, these were a common thing to wear. This particular exhibit has been more popular than some of the other traveling exhibits that I've had. There are also key items on display to enhance the experience. Some of our own artifacts from our collection, and we also have some items on loan from trappers in the area. The exhibit runs until November 4th, then will travel to the Boutrami County History Center. Having a professionally designed exhibit coming to northern Minnesota is always a good thing. For this week's In Focus in Shevlin, Haiti-Clauder, Lakeland News. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.