Hudson's Bay Company

In 1670, a group of London businessmen were determined to stake a claim to the wealth of the fur trade. Among them was Prince Rupert, Duke of Cumberland, cousin to King Charles II and grandson to Scotland’s King James VI.

The group established the Hudson’s Bay Company under a Royal Charter authorised by King Charles II. The Charter gave the company title to all the land that was drained by rivers into Hudson’s Bay. Under the Charter, representatives of Hudson's Bay Company were to be considered 'the true and absolute Lourdes and Proprietors of Rupert’s Land'.

The Hudson's Bay Company owned an incredible 1.5 million square miles of land, roughly equivalent in size to 15 Great Britains!

Hudson's Bay Company recruiters quickly found that Orkney men (Orcadians) were particularly well-suited to life on the Canadian Frontier. Orcadians tended to keep to themselves, focus on their work and steer clear of personality conflicts. They adapted well to life in Canada and got on well with the people of the First Nations.

Ships manned by hardy Orkney men began making their way to Hudson’s Bay. The first Company fort, completed in 1672, was named 'Moose Factory'; now Moosonee, Ontario.

More forts quickly sprang up around Hudson's Bay. They became permanent trading posts. These trading posts were ports where supplies were landed and furs were shipped to Europe.

French fur traders operating out of Montreal were trapping as far inland as modern-day Manitoba, and they did not take kindly to the sudden British claim on most of their trapping lands. The French refused to recognise the authority of the British King Charles II and came into conflict with the Hudson’s Bay Company.

After the surrender of New France in 1763, the Hudson’s Bay Company dominated the Canadian fur trade.

Hudson’s Bay Company fur traders lived in their forts and traded with Natives from the First Nations and fur trappers who brought animal pelts to trade. The traders of the Hudson’s Bay Company became infamous for trading alcohol to First Nations people in exchange for furs. At first they traded brandy and rum for animal pelts. Later they traded cheap bottles of gin coloured with iodine, calling it 'English Brandy'.

In contrast, the Orcadian William Thomson cared for First Nations people that fell ill during the smallpox epidemic of 1781-2. Thomson was the Hudson’s Bay Company's chief factor in Saskatchewan.

The life of a fur trapper could be very dangerous. Men had to survive the harsh terrain and attacks by wild animals. Competition between fur trappers could be vicious. It was not uncommon for a trapper to be murdered; the journey back to a trading post could be deadly. Fur trappers, loaded down with valuable pelts, were ambushed and their furs were stolen. Trappers were also vulnerable to attacks by Mohawk Indians who sold captives as slaves in the south.

No-one would ever know what happened to the lost trappers; they would just be another man that disappeared in the wilderness.

Most men saw the risks as worth taking. An industrious fur trader could make a fortune in as little as two years if he worked through the long winters. Many Scots only needed to work for five years to make enough money to buy land and retire comfortably back in Scotland.

Photograph credits

The images used above are licensed under Creative Commons on Flickr by the following photographers: .jowo, glennwilliamspdx, Jordon, Musée McCord Museum, Nic - Orkney, and Sherlock77 (James).