The first fur auction in Minnesota was held in 1961 at the fairgrounds in Hibbing. Local buyers, as well as buyers from Canada, attended. The local buyers felt betrayed and seemed to resent the Canadian buyers and therefore outbid them, much to the delight of the trappers. Unfortunately, the local fur buyers’ practice of “grubstaking” soon ended after the auction. This practice was a way to be “Paid in Advance” for many trappers since the fur buyer would advance the trapper $500 or more, and the future catch became the buyer’s property. Anything above the dollar amount would be paid at the going rate.

1963 the MTA helped to host a National Trappers Association meeting at Itasca State Park. Minnesota Trappers made up a good share of the first 100 members of the National Trappers Association. They were:

#18 W. H. Bingelen
#19 L.R. Dickenson
#36 Buck Snyder
#56 Mel Smith
#57 Mart Kerr
#58 Phil Christianson
#59 Albert Erickson
#60 Ruben Peterson
#61 Eugene Sandberg
#62 William K. O’Connor
#71 Dick Marinucci
#72 Del Sogard
#73 Archie Harder
#74 Del Fairbanks
#75 Russel Bartz
#76 William Vicari
#94 Chet Christianson

The MTA has also hosted two other NTA conventions.
In 1985 the 26th NTA Convention was held at Duluth, and in 1997 the 38th NTA Convention was held at Rochester, MN.
In 2012 the 65th NTA Convention was held in Owatonna, MN, on August 2 – 5, 2012; our third NTA convention.