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The beaver fur trade began in Montreal, originally founded as a French missionary centre, in the 17th century. After a few decades, two fur traders, Pierre-Esprit Radisson and Medard des Groseilliers, heard the best furs were further north on a frozen sea, the Hudson’s Bay, and they wanted to investigate. They asked for backing from the French Governor but he didn’t want to fur trade to move away from the St Lawrence River area and refused.
The traders went to England and received funding from Prince Rupert, cousin of King Charles II. In 1668 two ships, the Nonsuch with Groseilliers and the Eaglet with Radisson, left London. However, the Eaglet had to turn back so only the Nonsuch sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to what is now James Bay on Hudson’s Bay. There, Groseilliers founded Charles Fort on the Rupert River. The fort was later named Rupert House. The ship returned to England in October 1669 laden with prime beaver furs to be made into the waterproof felt hats that were popular at the time.
The charter for the formation of the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) was granted by King Charles II on May 2, 1670. It included all the land surrounding the rivers that drained into the Hudson’s Bay. This reached as far west as the origin of the North Saskatchewan River in the Rocky Mountains and was named Rupert’s Land. The company’s headquarters were in London and by 1717 there were six forts on the bay. The company controlled the fur trade throughout most of North America. However, they relied on the natives to transport the furs to their posts by canoe to trade for muskets, gunpowder, shot, and kettles and other articles.
The French, known as voyageurs, continued their fur trade with the indigenous peoples but they were the ones who went inland with the goods and built posts to trade for the furs. Eventually, in 1779, the independent traders formed their own company, The North West Company. The Hudson’s Bay Company began to open their own inland posts in competition. In 1821 the two joined under the name The Hudson’s Bay Company. It was the government of the land until 1868, two years after Canada was established.
Over the decades the company opened 80 retail stores across North America and employed over nine thousand workers. However, times changed and in March of 2025, the oldest continually operating company in North America filed for credit protection. It closed its last store in June 2025.
I have written three Canadian west historical novels for young adults. Two, ‘West to the Bay’ and ‘West to Fort Edmonton’, a novella, are based on the Hudson Bay Company. The third, ‘West to Grande Portage’ is based on the voyageur’s life. I am researching for a fourth which is tentatively titled, 'West to Fort Selkirk.'
