Hudson's Bay Company

The Hudson's Bay Company began in 1670, and by the 1820s it had expanded to the Pacific Northwest. John McLoughlin served as the head of the Hudson's Bay Company's Columbia district. In this position, which McLoughlin held for twenty-one years, he oversaw the company's operations throughout the entire Pacific Northwest. Researching the role Dr. McLoughlin played in the history of the Hudson's Bay Company were Robert C. Clark and Burt B. Barker. Both were historians at the University of Oregon who conducted this research as part of a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project during the summer of 1936. The two historians traveled to archives around the Pacific Northwest and London, England.

From the guide to the Hudson's Bay Company collection, 1822-1846, (Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries)

Andrew Langdon came to Buffalo in 1881. He was a director of the Buffalo & Southwestern Railroad and the Ellicott Square Bank, vice- president of Buffalo General Electric Company, and president of Empire State Savings Bank and the Buffalo Historical Society. He succeeded Sherman S. Jewett as park commissioner in 1897.

From the description of Deed : Hudsons Bay Company to Andrew Langdon, 1887 Feb. 8. (Buffalo History Museum). WorldCat record id: 33228638

The Hudson's Bay Company began in 1670, and by the 1820s expanded to the Pacific Northwest. John McLoughlin served as the head of the Hudson's Bay Company's Columbia district. In this position, which McLoughlin held for twenty-one years, he oversaw the company's operations throughout the entire Pacific Northwest. Researching the role Dr. McLoughlin played in the history of the Hudson's Bay Company were Robert C. Clark and Burt B. Barker. Both were historians at the University of Oregon who conducted this research as part of a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project during the summer of 1936. The two historians traveled to archives around the Pacific Northwest and London, England.

From the description of Hudson's Bay Company collection, 1822-1846. (University of Oregon Libraries). WorldCat record id: 56124026

The Hudson's Bay Company is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada.

From the guide to the Hudson's Bay Company journal of events at Stuart Lake, 1842-1847, (Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries)

The Hudson's Bay company was incorporated by royal charter in 1670 for the trade in furs in North America and was given a grant of land, called Rupert's Land (for Prince Rupert, first governor of the Company). The first fort established was Fort Charles (Rupert's House) built in 1668. Gradually, the company built posts further inland for trading with the Indians. The H.B.C. attempted to keep the west as a fur preserve, but with the spread of settlement the Company slowly lost its monopoly and the source of furs began to decline. The Company built colonies on the West Coast beginning with Vancouver Island (1849) which it eventually turned over to the Crown, along with the B.C. mainland in 1867.

From the description of Hudson's Bay Company fonds. 1786-1915. (University of British Columbia Library). WorldCat record id: 606462058

The Hudson's Bay Company was chartered in 1670 by King Charles II of England. Originally concerned with the fur trade throughout the northern North American continent, the company's complete monopoly was challenged in the late 18th century by chartered rivals such as the North West Company. By the early 19th century the Company had established posts in the far west, including the acquisition of Fort George in 1821 and the founding of Fort Vancouver on the lower Columbia River in 1824. Prominent among its officials was Dr. John McLoughlin, the Chief Factor at Fort Vancouver. It held great power in the Pacific Northwest up to the 1840s. After the signing of the 1846 treaty setting the boundary with the U.S. at the 49th parallel, the Company moved its operations to Vancouver Island in British Columbia. In a further treaty of 1863, the U.S. agreed to pay the Company for all rights and titles to its remaining property within the Union.

Sir James Douglas (1803-1877) was a native of Scotland who entered the service of the North West Company in 1819 and worked for the Hudson's Bay Company after 1821. He was stationed first at Fort Henry, and afterwards at various outposts in the Pacific northwest, coming to Fort Vancouver in 1830 and later succeeding Dr. John McLoughlin. From 1841-1849 he sat on the Hudson's Bay Company's Board of Governor's, and he later moved to Vancouver Island, where he served as the Island's second governor from 1849-1858. He was the first governor of the Crown Colony of British Columbia, serving from 1859-1863.

Dr. William Cameron McKay (1824-1893) was born at Astoria Oregon, the son of Thomas McKay, a member of the original 1811 Pacific Fur Company expedition, and McKay's Chinook Indian wife. William McKay was educated at Fort Vancouver under Dr. John McLoughlin, and later attended Fairfield College in New York and Willamette University in Oregon, where he received an M.D. He established a trading post near Umatilla, served as a guide for military expeditions, commanded a company of Warm Springs Indians in 1866, and served as a physician at the Warm Springs and Umatilla reservations in his later years.

George McTavish (1834-1893) was a native of Scotland who entered the service of the Hudson's Bay Company as a clerk, in 1849. He was stationed at various posts at the Ottowa River, the Great Whale River, Rupert's House, Moose Factory, and Fort Garry, and others. He rose to the postion of Inspecting Chief Factor and retired in 1880 to supervise work on the Canadian Pacific Railroad. His second wife was Emma Moore, who died in 1886.

From the guide to the Hudson's Bay Company collection, 1690-1970, (Oregon Historical Society)