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Founding of the HBC
The Hudson's Bay Company was and is a Canadian retail fur trade bussiness for much of it's existence. The company got incorporated by English royal charter in 1670 as "The Governor and Company of Adventurers of England". It functioned as a de facto government for some parts of North America before all of it was claimed by other higher powers. -
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Red River Colony
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Founding of the NWC
Simelerly to the HBC, the North West Company was a major force within the fur trade bussiness from the 1780s to the 1821. The name first refered to the traders in montreal who in 1776 puled resources to prevent competion among themselves and the inland advances of the HBC. -
Clonization of the Red River Valey
The Red River colony was founded by Thomas Douglas in 1811-1812. Upon obtaing a grant of 116,000 square miles of the red river valey from the HBC, Douglas sent out a group of Scotish and Irish colonists. The group reached its destination in 1812. -
The Pemmican Proclamation
Fearing that the crops will fail in in the Red River Valley, Miles Macdonal issued the "Pemmican Proclamation". This document effectively banned the export of pemmican from the Red River Valley for one year. The Metis, who lived of off the Pemmican in the area, suffered a great blow. -
Battle of Seven Oaks
Collin Robertson, an HBC factor, set out to make peace with the NWC and the metis. However Robert Semple, and new governor of the collony, ignored Robertson and ordered the burnning of an NWC fort. The Metis saw this as an act of war. -
HBC and NWC Merge.
By 1820 the struggle between the HBC and the Northwest company nearly drove both companies to bankruptsy. There wasn't enough fur to fuel the conflict. The British government feared loss of controll over the Northwest making the HBC and the NWC agree to merge.
