Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-10-12

official biologists at 1900. 600 tons
Edmonton is thirty hours by train west
OF Winntpeg-a distance of 783 miles. 1t
is 312 miles north Of the International
boundary and very nearly in the center
of the province Of Alberta. One hundred
years ago it was second in importance
| Of all the posts Of the Hudson Bay Com
pany, and some Of the old log warehouses
of that far-reaching monopoly are still
standing. The company continues to trade
for furs which are brought In by In
dams and half-breeds from the lakes and
rivers of the north. and the volume OF
it's business is said to be larger and more
profitable than 1t ever was. 1t maintains
the largest department store in the city.
and that means radius OF more than
400 miles.
Edmonton House, as 1t was known, was
built in 1876 and originally called Fort
des Prairies This was the time when the
the Northwest Fur Company was most
active and Edmonton House was intend
ed as countercheck to the Northwest
company's post. called Fort Augustus.
amalgamated in 1923. when Edmonton
House became the central post Of q vast
territory and one of the most important
of all the trading establishments In Amer
circled the storehouses and residences OF
the officials and some OF the employees,
while on the outside were the cabins of
half-breeds and other traders. hunters
and trappers.
The Indians of the dreaded Blackfoot
confederacy. across the border. in what
is now the United States. did not per
NIT the factors of the Hudson Bay Com
pany to enter their territory. but used
to come here twice a year to trade. They
frequently met here their hereditary foes,
the Crees, and several bloody encounters
occurred on the site Of the city which
l. mill kaIl Yy}yy
vegetable gardens, piles Of drain pipe.
paving materials, baby carriages, plano
boxes. automobiles and other evidences
Of civilization.
| Price Of Quitting.
At Edmonton House were fitted out
the expeditions which transported furs
and brought back merchandise by the
Saskatchewan river from Winnipeg and
Lake Superior, and from this point also
the Oregon trail commenced.
The Columbia river rises in the foot
hills Of Mount Hooker and Mount Lyall
about sixty miles west OF Yellowhead
pass, and flows through a series of mar
into the United States Deputations
from Astoria, near the mouth Of the
Columbia on the Pacific ocean, would
come up by that great river, bringing
merchandise. and meet populations bring
Ing furs from Edmonton at q little lake
known as 1.-THE Committees Punch
Bowl" near the junction Of the Whirl-
pool and Wood rivers; There they ex,
known today. and the survey Of the
Canadian Northern railroad from Yellow
head pass through the Rocky mountains
| to Vancouver follows 1t for consider
The greater part of the supplies for
the Hudson Bay Company's employees at
Edmonton came by boat from Winnipeg
| by way Of Lake Winnipeg and the
| Saskatchewan river. and the arrival of
the brigade of boats laden with mer-
ehandise to trade with the Indians and
provisions to feed the people at the
agency. and their departure laden with
furs. were the most important events Of
| the year.
Cy Warman on the Old Days.
North and west of the prairie prov
inces. where the swaying sea Of golden
grain breaks upon the 'bluffs'-the tim
bered shore OF that sea of gold-lies Rup-
erts Land said Cy Warman the other
day. Here 241 years ago the honorable
governor and company Of gentlemen adj
venturers of England began trading un-
der the name OF the Hudson Bay Com
pany. This is the oldest trading company
in the world. No corporation ever held
such absolute power. the power to pardon
| or to condemn to death those who violat-
ed the law Of the land-a law made and
enforced by themselves Those who knew
the wide northwest. the Inhabitants there
| OF and this ancient and honorable COM
pany. will agree that the real story of
the Hudson Bay Company has never
been told
THE fiction stock Of average writer's is
passed on from one to another as the
years go by. Sometimes the tales are
improved by telling. but nearly always
the story in substance remains the same
We are told Of timber wolves eating men
in the forests. yet natural history stu
dents have sought for years to fix this
crime to find the remains of a man
who had been eaten by wolves
Wild stories are told also of how the
Hudson Bay factors used to take fierce
delight In pasturing free-traders on the
degrees below zero. but none Of them
ever returned to tell the tale Moreover.
no one has ever been able to produce a
witness to such barbarity. And then
for long guns. because he was supposed
to make an Indian stack buffaio robes
until the pile reached the top Of the RI
fe. but nobody has yet; come forward to
ter Of fact the Indians liking for 9 long
gun was born OF the belief that Q long
gun would shoot and kill a long way Off
In one popular story Hn! is a referenee to
years before any bacon was ever seen
there. These ancient stories should be
put away and some new fiction intro
duced.
"The Hudson Bay Company has al
ways been criticised for trying to keep
it's hunting grounds to itself and for fail-
ing to notify the world that lot Of land
in the Canadian northwest was fair, fer
tile and At for settlement. We forget
that 1t was not in the colonization bust
ness. and naturally sought the preseFva-
tion of the Wild as IFS explorers found It.
We forget, too. that until very recent
years no one demanded the riches, re-
sources and possibilities. Of the Canadian
northwest.
The Story Of Colonization.
"Only seven years ago a canadian-born
American discovered long stretch Of Wild
land with . railway running through II
i that nobody wanted. He bought it,