Intensive competition with the North West Company spilled beyond Rupert’s Land into the Mackenzie drainage basin and the Pacific slope, combining economic conflict with occasional physical violence ( see Battle of Seven Oaks). By 1774, HBC trade had been undercut enough that the governor and the committee embarked on an aggressive policy of inland expansion beginning with the building of Cumberland House on the lower Saskatchewan River. Overland trade network taken over by the British. Indigenous traders also used this intense rivalry to extract greater returns for their furs.Īfter the Treaty of Paris 1763, the company’s French rivals were replaced by a much more formidable opposition, the Montreal-based Into the interior to trade with Indigenous peoples rather than waiting for them to come to the coast. This reluctance to establish posts in the interior of Rupert’s Land allowed competitors to outflank the HBC by travelling In 1743 on the Albany River, 200 km from the coast. For the next 60 years, the HBC erected posts only at the mouths of major rivers flowing into the bay, with the single exception of Henley House, a small outpost erected In 1713, by the Treaty of Utrecht, France acknowledged England’s claim to In the early years, a series of naval and land battles took place on HudsonĪnd James bays. Until 1763, the HBC struggled with the French for control of the fur trade in southern Rupert’s Land. Struggle for Control of the Fur Trade: 18th Century That devastated Indigenous populations ( see Health of Indigenous Peoples in Canada). The arrival of Europeans also introduced diseases, such as smallpox, Goods led to conflict among Indigenous peoples. This movement of people and competition for European Many also moved beyond their traditional territory in search of fur-bearing animals and to obtain a better position in the trade. Reliant on European manufactured goods and foodstuffs for survival. As a result of their involvement in the fur trade, many abandoned their traditional lifestyles and economy, and became The fur trade had a great impact upon Indigenous peoples. All furs and manufactured items were valued according to this standard, which was theĮquivalent of one prime male beaver skin. Trade among posts, the HBC introduced the Made Beaver as the currency of the fur trade. Often, Indigenous traders were middlemen, bringing furs from communities farther inland. Point blanket was one such item bartered for furs. Summer months, Indigenous peoples travelled to these trading posts to barter furs for manufactured goods such as metal tools, guns, textiles and foodstuffs. Prince of Wales Fort was at one point called Churchill Factory or Prince of Wales Factory.Īfter trapping during the fall and winter when beaver pelts were of the highest quality, in the Historic place names such as Moose Factory and York Factory indicated the “factor” or chief trader of the area resided there. In Rupert’s Land, each factory (trading post) was commanded by a chief factor (trader) and his council of officers. ![]() The General Court also appointed a governor to act on their behalf in the bay area. The London-based governor and committee set all the basic policies implemented in Rupert’s Land, basing their decisions on annual reports, post journals and account books supplied by the officials Order trade goods, hire men and arrange for shipping. ![]() ![]() At the annual General Court (Annual General Meeting in today’s terms), shareholders elected a governor and committee to organize fur auctions, Unlike most contemporary trading concerns, the HBC evolved as a joint-stock company with a centralized bureaucracy. This vast region was named Rupert’s Land. Wide powers, including exclusive trading rights in the territory traversed by rivers flowing into Hudson Bay. The “Governor and Company of Adventurers of England trading into Hudson Bay” were granted Proclaimed on ( see Voyage of the Nonsuch). The first ships, the Eaglet and the Nonsuch, were dispatched on 3 June 1668 and the royal charter was King, several merchants and noblemen to back the venture. After failing to obtain French support on their terms, they went to England in 1665 and interested Prince Rupert, cousin of Charles II. In the 17th century, the fur trade emerged as a major commercial enterprise in North America due to European demand for felt hats made from beaver fur.įrench traders Médard Chouart des Groseilliers and Pierre-Esprit Radisson were the first to propose a trading company to reach the interior of the continent via Hudson Bay and gain easier access to the fur resources of the interior ( see Fur Industry).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |