FUR TRADE

• HUDSON’S BAY COMPANY (HBC) CHARTER OF 1670 GIVES IT EXCLUSIVE TRADING RIGHTS INTO LAND DRAINING INTO HUDSON’S BAY – THIS MONOPOLY WAS NOT RESPECTED BY MANY

FRENCH CANADIEN FUR TRADERS• THE NORTHWEST COMPANY FORMED IN

1784 HAS OPERATES DIFFERENTLY AND SOON COMPETES HEAD TO HEAD WITH HBC

Sent traders into plains, British Columbia

Sent first European into plains but did not establish there for some time

Exploration

Send traders out to trade with First Nations trappers directly

Have First Nations trappers travel to HBC Forts

Trading Policy

Employees receive a share of profits

Employees paid an annual salary

Employees

2 Types of partners: Montreal based and ‘Hivernants’ out west

Shareholders are British merchants who live in London

Shareholders

Northwest CompanyHudson’s Bay Company

HBC finds they have to venture inland to compete – begin setting up forts upstream of Northwestern Company

Voyageurs take Aboriginal wives; these people become a new and distinct culture called the Metis.

COMPARISON OF FUR TRADING COMPANIES

PACIFIC COAST FUR TRADE

• RUSSIA AND SPAIN ARE SPREADING ALONG WEST COAST OF NORTH AMERICA – BOTH BEGIN TRADING IN SEA OTTER PELTS

• BRITISH AND AMERICANS BEGIN TRADING AS WELL– ALL TRADING IS CONDUCTED FROM SHIPS

UNTIL JOHN MEARES BUILDS A TRADING POST– SPANISH DESTROY HIS POST AND BUILD A FORT

AT FRIENDLY COVE IN NOOTKA SOUND• TREATY OF NOOTKA SOUND WITH SPAIN

RECOGNIZES BRITISH CONTROL SOUTH OF ALASKA – LATER TREATY WITH RUSSIA SETS BORDER AT 54° 40’ NORTH