The French initially traded with Native Americans for furs within the cultural parameters of the Indians, who saw material objects as possessing spiritual powers. Indians began to view goods as commodities with negotiable prices as they appreciated the superior strength of metal tools from the French. The French claimed the St. Lawrence Valley for five strategic reasons, including its safe distance from Spain, thick furs, skilled native hunters, access inland, and a good harbor at Quebec. By the late 17th century, the French colonies of New France and Louisiana stretched from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the Gulf of Mexico, though French presence depended more on Indian consent than their own power.