Red River prospector. (Red River, Taos County, N.M.) 1900-190?, 1906-08-16
FRENCH H FIRST
PIONEERS IN THE FUR INDUS
TRY IN AMERICA.
AS Far Back as 1897 One Of That Race
Began Dealing with the indians
Bitter Contests over
Territory.


In 1927 a Frenchman named Du Pont
set up a little trading post at the juno
ton Of the Saguenay river with the St.
Lawrence. He sold his merchandise to
the Indians and took his pay in furs.
A few years later the French Fur
company was organized. In 1861 two
employees were sent to the shores Of
the Hudson bay and from there to
Lake Superior and Lake Winnipeg.
They reported %fur-bearing animals in
abundance, but their employers we're
not impressed by the business possi-
bilities of the enterprise which they
suggested.
They went to Boston, where they
aroused interest, but were unable to
raise funds. They went to England
and then to France. After three or
four years of effort they were brought
into contact with Prince Rupert, who
agreed to finance a preliminary expedi-
ton. In 1868 a little vessel of so tons,
named the Nonsuch, left England for
parts unknown" The expedition
passed the winter in Hudson bay and
returned to England in the summer of
1863 with a full cargo.
Early in 1870 King Charles II grant
ed to Prince Rupert and II others a
charter as the Governor and Compal y
of Adventures Trading into Hudson
Bay" with sole rights to trade in fish,
whales, timber, minerals, furs and
numerous other things throughout all
the territory tributary to Hudson bay.
The name of Rupert's Land was given
to the district, and although this title
was long since dropped officially It is
still heard and the Church of England
still has a bishop of Rupert's Land.
The company was practically author
ICED to establish and maintain a gov
eminent throughout a e ritory of hun
dreds of thousands of square miles in
extent. This was held until it's trans
fer to the dominion government in
1869, in consideration of 81, 500, 900 and
the reservation to the company of GER
tain lands and privileges.
If the right man could have access to
the records, the legends and the camp
fire tales of this remarkable institution
IL oCAACO VI DOOho AlA6AI DC NAlllOA
which by comparison would make the
Misunderstanding tales seem almost in
sipid and Mayne Reid's stories almost
tedious. Many a lady's muff has cost
a mans life and many a collar has
been sent to market at the price of
suffering and danger.
In 1888 a charter was obtained by the
NOr4buyoe Eur onO,Donu Of ATop+roa1
on the ground Of a claim that it was
the legal successor of the old French
company. For nearly 40 years a bitter
and often bloody contest was main
tanned between this and the old com
pany. In 1916 the site of the present
city of Winnipeg was the scene of a
pitched battle. The two companies
were consolidated in 1921, because both
were convinced hat a continuance OF
such hostilities meant ruin to Soth.
The Hudson's Bay company has been
one of the most important advance
guards of civilization on this con-
tinent. Around many of the forts and
ports from which the hardy and cour-
ageous ~"voyageurs" and 'coureurs de
bois" brought the bales of pelts by dos
sled and canoe there have grown VI
prosperous towns and cities. Victoria
Winnipeg, Calgary and Edmonton were
originally trading posts of this com
pany.
About % years ago the company put
steamboats, on the Saskatchewan anC
the Mackenzie. But even now it has
stations in the far north, where mai
is received only once a year. YorI
Factory, established about 1870, ant
Fort Churchill, both on the western
shore of Hudson bay, will some day
be thriving cities, shipping points FOL
millions of bushels of grain and thou
sands of cattle by direct steamer lines
to Europe.