Muskrat fur (known as 'musquash' in Europe) was one of the most common furs used from the 1940s through to the 1990s.  It has a very soft texture, it’s lightweight and can be dyed and sheared for a versatile appearance.  It was relatively inexpensive compared to similar furs such as mink or beaver.  It was also hugely abundant, with muskrats harvested across Canada from the Maritimes, to the Pacific, and in the Arctic.  All of these features remain today.

 

 

Natural muskrat has a beautiful reddish-brown to dark brown colour phase, and when sheared, has a unique blue colour tone.  However, its most popular uses were to imitate other, more desirable furs.

 

 

 

In the 1950s and 1960s muskrat was sheared and dyed jet black and called Hudson Seal. This was to imitate the very dark brown colouring of Alaskan fur seal, which was very short haired, very soft, and quite expensive.  In the 1960s and 1970s, natural long-haired muskrat fur was dyed reddish-brown with a darker stripe painted to make it look like natural let-out brown mink coats and jackets that were very popular in the day.

 

 

In the 1970s, muskrat was typically made ‘skin-on-skin’ style, which is where each pelt is squared off and sewn together to form the pattern of the coat.  This can easily be recognized and were often dyed trendy colours of the day, most notably: Cherry, Polar and Cognac.  They were often mixed with complimentary coloured leathers, making it a classic 1970’s look.

 

 

Muskrat fur has also been a very common fur in hat production over the years, with the most iconic being the traditional Mountie hat with the ear flaps, where natural muskrat is used with a navy blue Melton wool or poplin rain material.  The Mounties first donned this style cap in the 1930s and have worn it ever since.  That style is now made with many different fur types and material types, from sheared fur to ultra-fluffy.

 

 

Being in the Kawarthas, muskrat was particularly popular over the years, as the most desirable and valuable ‘section’ (a geographical region with particular fur characteristics) of fur was this area, specifically the ‘Rice Lake Section’ of muskrat, that was world renowned for its size, fur density, texture and thickness of leather.  I wish I had photos of the bags of muskrats that Dad bought from local trappers to make our own fur garments, when my brother Jamie and I would spend hours stamping our pin-prick BC (Bernard Cahill) into the tails before they went away for dressing in Winnipeg or Montreal, to make sure we got our own furs back.  

 

 

Vintage muskrat fur coats are very common and can be found in all the styles that I've mentioned here and remain on the more affordable side.  One downside of vintage muskrat is that the leather tends to dry out faster and is rather weak, so watch out for tears. Repurposing muskrat can often be a challenge because of this, particularly if the coats weren’t properly stored.  Aside from that muskrat is a very nice, warm fur with a lot of character and Canadian heritage.

 

 

Wearing vintage fur is a great way to show your care for the environment and contribute towards sustainability.  Enjoy your natural, warm and luxurious furs.  Wear them with pride.