Woodland Cree and Chipewyan hunted caribou and moose as well as relying on fishing in central Alberta. The Hudson's Bay Company was granted exclusive rights to Rupert's Land, by King Charles II of Britain, through the Royal Charter of 1670. Anthony Henday, a fur trader for HBC, was the first recorded European to reach Alberta in 1754 or 1755. The NWC established the first European settlement on the shore of Lake Athabasca, called Fort Chipewyan. Fort George on the Saskatchewan River in 1792, Fort Edmonton in 1795, and Rocky Mountain House in 1799.
Many forts still exist as heritage sites.
In 1820,representatives of both companies met to find a solution. The meeting resulted in a merger in 1821 and put an end to the long-standing rivalry. The merger also created a monopoly over the Canadian fur trade. Pierre Geullaume Sayer was the first to face trial. The jury found him guilty but a punishment was not given.