The San Francisco call., 1906-10-15
FUR COMPANY WAS
FIRST TRUST.
Famous Hudson Bay Con
cern Was Oldest Monop-
oily in North America
KING GIVES CHARTER

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 merchan-
disc 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
or 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 possibili-
ties or the enterprise which they sug-
gested.
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-
tion. In 1858 a little vessel OF fifty
tons. named the Nonsuch, left England
passed the winter in Hudson Bay and
returned to England in the summer OF
1869 with full cargo.
CHARTER GRANTED BY KING.
Early In 1870 King Charles II grant
ed to Prince Rupert and seventeen 9TH
ers charter as the Governor and
Company 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
1t is still heard and the Church of Eng
land still has a Bishop of Rupert's $
Land
The company was practically author
lied to establish and maintain gov
ernment throughout territory of hun
dreds of thousands of square miles In
extent. This was held until its trans
fer to the Dominion Government in
1863, in consideration of $1,500,00O and
| the reservation to the company OF GER
tain lands and privileges.
MATERIAL FOR ROMANCE.
If the right man could have access
to the records. the legends and camp
fire tales of this remarkable institu-
tion series of books might be writ
ten which by comparison would make
the Misunderstanding Tales seem almost
| insipid and Mayne Reid's stories almost
tedious. Many a lady's mun has cost
mans life. and many collar has
been sent to market at the price of
suffering and danger.
In 1888 charter was obtained by the
Northwest Fur Company of Montreal
on the ground of a claim that 1t was
the legal successor of the old French
company. For nearly forty years a
bitter and often bloody contest was
maintained between this and the old
company. In 1916 the site of the pres
ent city OF Winnipeg was the scene
/ of a pitched battle The two compa-
nies were consolidated in 1921 because
! both were convinced that a continuance
/ of such hostilities meant ruin to both.
TRADING STATIONS NOW CITIES.
/ one of the most important advance
guards of civilization on this continent
Around many of the forts and ports
from which the hardy and courageous
''voyageurs and ''coureurs de bois'
brought the bales OF pelts by dog sled
and canoe there have grown up pros
porous towns and cities. Victoria, Win
nipeg, Calgary and Edmonton were or
! iginally trading posts OF this company
About twenty-five years ago the COM
! pany put steamboats, on the Saskatche-
wan and the Mackenzie. But even now
it has stations in the far north, where
mail is received only once a year. York
Factory, established about 1870, and
Fort Churchill. botn on the western
shore of Hudson Bay, will some day be
lions of bushels of grain and thousands
of cattle by direct steamer lines to Eu-
rope.-Chicag Chronicle.