The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1858-08-05
History Of the Fur Trade of the HE'D
River Valley.

W WV huuuASu ySois uN u"Aas IA iu's
with the Indian tribes who inhabit the basin
of Lake Winnipeg has been prosecuted on
the shores Of Hudsons Bay.
Obliged by the conditions Of the treaty
Of Utrecht in liza, to surrender the traffic
on these shores to the exclusive possession
Of the Hudson Bay Company, the French
confined their attention to the new channel
Of trade which the Great Lakes opened out
to them, and pushing their enterprises
through the streams which flow from the
West into Lake Superior, emerged upon
the magnificent plains which are watered by
the afluents of Lake Winnipeg, and estab-
lished trading posts on the lake Of the
Woods, the Assineboin, and even among
the distant tribes who inhabited the sources
Of the Saskatchewan. In 1863, by the
terms Of the treaty Of Versailles, the French
relinquished their North American posses
sions to England, and three years after
ward, British subjects from Canada fol-
lowing the routes pursued by the old
French traders, began to avail themselves
of the profitable traffic which the French
had established, and penetrating as far
westward as their predecessors, began to oc-
cupy the posts which the latter had desert
ed along the great rivers that flow into Lake
Winnipeg. They even stretched northward,
and engaged in direct competition with the
Hudson Bay Company for the traffic which
they at this time carried on along the rivers
which dcbouch into Hudson's Bay. These
adventures, however, were individual enter.
prises, and their prosecution often brought
them into collision with the servants Of that
company. Uniting against their common
eneuIy, the principal Of these traders form
ed, III 1913, a powerful organization nnder
the name OF the Northwest Company
This was not chartered company, but as
SUCCESSORS to the old French traders, they
pursued very lucrative traffic via the lakes
penetrating to regions which the French had
not reached, even to the shores Of the Pa
cific. Their fleets of canoes laden with
goods for the Indians or furs for Montreal
traversed the continent in every direction
through the connected chain Of rivers and
lakes from Montreal TO Puget's Sound. 1t
was not till 1911 that the Hudson Bay
Company, at the instigation Of the Earl Of
Selkirk, set up claim Of exclusive jurisdic.
ton under their charter, over this immense
region and in 1912, with the arrival Of the
first instalRent Of Sekirk colonists, they
established fort and factory on the Red
River. The savage contest followed with
the Northwest Company, some details Of
which have already been given, in which the
colony was ruinousy involved, and which,
after years Of murderous STRIFE terminating
with the mutual exhaustion Of both parties,
was at length concluded by the coalition Of
the rival companies in 1921. Some idea Of
the extent 10 which the energy and activity
Of private enterprise had carried the fur
trade in the region west of Lake Superior.
principally along the valleys Of the Red
River and Saskatchewan, may be obtained
from the fact that in ISIS the Northwest
Company had sixty trading posts in this re-
gioD.
Thus the history Of the fur trade Of the
Red River valley may be divided into three
periods, Of nearly equal duration the pc
riod Of the French occupancy, from TIA 10
1863, when the trade Of this region had IL
outlet through Rainy Lake River into Lake
superior-the period Of over fifty years TO-
lowing, from 1906 10 1921, when the trade
was principally in the hands Of the North
west Company, and followed the old water
courses which the French had pursued-and
the remaining period, from l32l To the pres
ent time, during which /, has been nearly
monopolized by the Hudson's Bay Cornpa-
ny, and forced by them through tbe difficult
channel Of Nelson's River, which connects
their interior trade with their ancient posts
on the shores Of Hudson bay.
The vast country wa,ered BY the MAJESTIC
rivers which interIock in Lake WinDeeg,
extending from Hudson Bay and Lake su-
perim to the Rocky Mountains, is one u
four principal divisions Of the Company.
territories, and such ia the vitbering effects
Of commercial monopoly. that the namHou
trading posts which the Company found ~
tablisbed =, every eligible point along the
streams, have dvindIed 70 thirty-thres in