The Hudson’s Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company, one of the oldest, still active companies in the world, was almost 200 years old when Canada was created in 1867. Since its inception in 1670, the Company controlled fully one-third of present-day Canadian territory. That area, designated Rupert's Land, encompassed most of Northern Ontario and Northern Québec, all of Manitoba, most of Saskatchewan, the southern half of Alberta and a large part of the Northwest Territories.
Control over this enormous domain was granted by Royal Charter following the successful voyage of the Nonsuch to trade for beaver pelts with the Cree near James Bay.
What began as a simple fur-trading enterprise evolved into a trading and exploration company that reached to the west coast of Canada and the United States, south to Oregon, north to the Arctic and east to Ungava Bay, with agents in Chile, Hawaii, California, and Siberia; a land development company with vast holdings in the prairie provinces; a merchandising, natural resources and real estate development company and, today, Canada's oldest corporation and one of its largest retailers.
The Hudson’s Bay Company will have a historic trading post display set-up in the North Visitors center at Discovery Harbour during the Battle of Georgian Bay weekend.
Visit our archives website at:
http://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives/hbca/index.html
