From 1670 until 1987, the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) operated hundreds of trading posts in various parts of Canadaand the northwestern US. During the fur trade, Indigenous trappers visited trading posts to exchangefurs for valued goods produced by Europeans, including metal objects, weapons and glass beads. In 1870, the HBC’s vast territory of northern wilderness (see Rupert’s Land and North-Western Territories) was transferred to theCanadian government, and the HBC gradually transitioned from a fur trading company to a retail establishment. The HBC maintained posts in Northern Canada, however, until 1987. Some settlements that remained in and around the old trading posts developedinto cities, such as Winnipeg (Fort Garry), Edmonton (Fort Edmonton)and Victoria (Fort Victoria). Some First Nations that had established themselves near HBC posts also have names that reflect their fur trading history, including Fort Albany First Nation in Ontario and Fort McKay First Nation inAlberta.
Terminology: Fur Trade Posts, Factories and Forts
A trading post was a place where manufactured goods from Europe were traded for furs harvested by Indigenous peoples.Some posts were also known as factories, such as Moose Factory in Ontario and York FactoryonHudson Bay. The chief trader of the area lived there and was known as the factor.
Some posts were also called forts because their architecture typically followed that of military fortifications. The nature of the fur trade was highly competitive and, at times, involved armed conflicts between competing companies. This necessitateda well-fortified post to protect the goods and the people within.
History of HBC Trading Posts
In 1670, King Charles II signed a charter that gave the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) complete control of a territory known as Rupert’s Land.The charter didn’t recognize the sovereignty of the Indigenous peoples that had occupied thoselands for centuries. Consequently, fur trading posts and forts were established on Indigenous territory. Many of these lands were transferred to the federal governmentafter the signing of various treaties with Indigenous peoples in the 19th and 20th centuries.
During its first 100 years in operation, the HBC established posts in and around James Bay and Hudson Bay.Fort Charles was the first HBC trading post, built in 1668 on lands of the James Bay Cree Nation of Waskaganish (see Creeand First Nations in Quebec). In 1774, the HBC expanded westward, creating more posts in what later became the provinces of Manitoba,Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.The HBC’s first inland trading post, Fort Cumberland, was established in 1774 by Samuel Hearne in Saskatchewan.
Throughout the fur trade, the HBC competed fiercely with rival fur trading companies, such as the Montreal-based North West Company. During global conflicts between England and France — such as King William’s War (1689–97), Queen Anne’s War (1702–13), King George’s War(1744–48) and the Seven Years’ War (1756–63) — fur trading posts and forts were attacked by enemy forces. The conflict between HBC and NWC came to a head during the Pemmican War(1812–21). The NWC and Métis traders opposed what they saw as an HBC monopoly on trade. The war ended in 1821, when the NWC merged with the HBC.
After having eliminated its competitors in the west, the HBC set its sights on Eastern Canada. While the HBC had asserted its claim to Labrador as early as 1752, it didn’t establisha fur trading post there until 1836, in Rigolet. Over the following decades, the HBC expanded its reach throughout Labrador and northern Quebec.
In 1870, the HBC surrendered its territory, including Rupert’s Land and the North-Western Territory,to the Canadian government. As white settlement spread north and west, the HBC intensified the northward push of the trade and eventually established enduring trade contacts with the Inuit.Fur traders moved into the Arctic territories of whalers, who had abandoned their posts as the whaling economy declined. Beginning in 1912, the HBC established a series of trading postsin Northern Canada.
Gradually, as the fur trade began to dwindle, the HBC shifted its focus from trading posts to retail shops. In the north, trading posts gradually expanded into general merchandising. In 1959, the company’s Fur Trade Department became the Northern StoresDepartment. By that point, the northern posts functioned as stores, selling general merchandise while retaining an interest in furs. The department operated more than 200 northern stores between 1959 and 1987, when they were bought out by a group ofinvestors and senior management (the new company eventually operated as The North West Company).
FAQs
Search by Post Name or Post Number
| Post Number | Post Name | Map |
|---|
| Post # | Post Name | Map |
|---|
| B.248 | Battleford | Southern Saskatchewan |
| B.249 | Bear Lake (aka Fort Grahame, Findlay River) | Northern British Columbia |
| B.386 | Bearskin Lake | Western Ontario |
113 more rowsHudson's Bay (department store)
| Flagship store on Queen Street in Toronto |
|---|
| Headquarters | 8925 Torbram Road, Brampton, Ontario , Canada |
| Number of locations | 83 Full Line, 2 Outlet Stores, and 1 Warehouse Store |
| Area served | Canada |
| Products | Clothing footwear bedding furniture jewellery beauty products electronics housewares |
8 more rowsThe Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), chartered 2 May 1670, is the oldest incorporated joint-stock merchandising company in the English-speaking world. HBC was a fur trading business for most of its history, a past that is entwined with the colonization of British North America and the development of Canada.
Who owns HBC in Canada? ›
Hudson's Bay Co. has been sold to a new American owner, NRDC Equity Partners, the parent of upscale U.S. chain Lord & Taylor.
Where was the first inland HBC trading post? ›
Hudson's Bay Company's first inland trading post was established by Samuel Hearne in 1774 with Cumberland House, Saskatchewan.
What was the first trading post in Canada? ›
Pierre de Chauvin de Tonnetuit established Canada's first fur trading post in Tadoussac in 1600. Today's replica offers you the opportunity to relive the trading that occurred here between First Nations people and Europeans.
Is HBC the oldest company in Canada? ›
The Hudson's Bay Company is the oldest company in Canada. It was started in 1670 as a fur-trading company. Today the company runs department stores throughout Canada. In the 1600s both rich Europeans and poor settlers in North America wore clothing and hats made of fur.
Does HBC still exist? ›
It still exists as a commercial company and is active in real estate, merchandising, and natural resources, with headquarters in Toronto. It is the oldest incorporated joint-stock merchandising company in the English-speaking world.
What is the biggest HBC? ›
The largest HBCU is North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Below, we've listed the ten largest HBCUs in order of largest to smallest enrollment. All data comes from the NCES and is for the 2022-2023 school year.
When did Canada buy HBC? ›
On March 20, 1869, the Hudson's Bay Company reluctantly, under pressure from Great Britain, sold Rupert's Land to the Government of Canada for $1.5 million.
A British company since its founding in 1670, it wasn't until 1970 during its 300th anniversary year that HBC became a Canadian corporation. The pace of retail acquisition increased with takeovers of Zellers/Fields (1978), Simpsons (1978), and Robinson's (1979).
What does YYZ stand for in Canada? ›
(C) YYZ – Toronto Pearson International Airport.
Who is the CEO of HBC? ›
TORONTO, ON (November 28, 2023) - Hudson's Bay today announced the appointment of retail veteran Liz Rodbell as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective December 1, 2023.
Who did HBC merge with? ›
Exhausted by battle and legal wrangling, the HBC and NWC merged in 1821. The Sayer Trial of 1849 spelled the end of the HBC monopoly in trade and opened commerce across the West.
Is HBC buying Neiman Marcus? ›
Saks Fifth Avenue's parent company, HBC, has announced the acquisition of Neiman Marcus for $2.65 billion, which, once the transaction is finalized, will establish a new luxury retail powerhouse named Saks Global.
Where were trading posts usually located? ›
Trading posts have been established in a range of areas, including relatively remote ones, but most often near the ocean, a river, or another natural resource.
What trade routes did the HBC use? ›
The HBC began to move inland in 1774 in response to competition from the highly organized Montreal pedlars and, later, the NWC. Most of the HBC's traffic inland was via the Hayes and Nelson rivers. Three tracks led from the interior to HBC headquarters at York Factory: the Upper, Middle and Lower Track Routes.
Where were Portuguese trading posts located? ›
Taking advantage of the rivalries that pitted Hindus against Muslims, the Portuguese established several forts and trading posts between 1500 and 1510. Portugal established trading ports at far-flung locations like Goa, Ormuz, Malacca, Kochi, the Maluku Islands, Macau, and Nagasaki.
Where was the French Trading Post located? ›
Fort Rouillé was a French trading post located in what is now Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Fort Rouillé was constructed by the French in 1751, building upon the success of a trading post they established in the area a year earlier, known as Fort Toronto.
