The Pacific voyages of James Cook revealed the high prices sea otter furs from the Northwest Coast of Canada would bring in China. A New Englander by the name of John Kendrick (1740-1794) was one of the first to head an expedition there and it was he and his fellow fur merchants who first opened up trade between North America and China.
In 1787, Kendrick set out from Boston with two ships and a cargo of copper and iron goods to exchange for furs. When he arrived he found that the Spanish and British were already there, making claims. He made a deal with the Spaniards and clapped the British competitors in irons. He now had a chance to make a fortune. The Northwest Coast was a fur-traders' paradise. In one instance Kendrick exchanged a number of iron chisels, worth about $100, for more than 200 sea otter pelts valued at $8000.
Kendrick then sailed to China and Japan disposing of his valuable cargo. He returned for a second expedition, which was equally profitable. Late in 1794, he revisited the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii), where he was accidentally killed by a stray cannon ball during a celebration.
Learn more: John Kendrick