Show T r r- r ro o r i. i 1 FRENCH FRE CH THE THE FIRST FIRST PIONEERS IN THE FUR IN INDUSTRY INDUSTRY INDUS INDUS- US- US TRY R IN AMERICA As Far Back Eack as 1627 One Om of That Race Rac e Began Dealing with the Indians I Bitter Bitter Cont Contests ts Over Ovet Territory In 1627 a F Frenchman named Du TIu P Ponset Pont Pon t set et up a little trading post POt at the Junction junction Junc junc- tion Uon of the Sa enay ricer r with the St. St Lawrence He sold his merchandise to the Indians and took his pay In furs A A. few years later the French Fur Fu was organized In 1661 two were sent to the shores o othe of f the Hudson bay and from there to Lake Superior and Lake Winnipeg They reported reported fur beating anim animals ls In abundance but their employers were sot lOt impressed by the business of the enterprise which they suggested They went went to Boston where they aroused Interest but but were unable to ra raise se funds They went to England and then to France After three o or four years of effort they were brought Into contact with Prince Rupert who agreed to finance finance-a a preliminary expedition tion In In 1668 1668 a little little- vessel of 50 tons named the Nonsuch left England for par parts s unknown The expedition passed the winter in Hudson bay and returned to England In the summer of 1669 with a a full fulI cargo Early in 1670 King Charles 11 II granted grant grant- ed to Prince Rupert an and l 17 others a char charter er as the Governor and Company of Adventurers Trading into Hudson Bay with sole rights to trade in fish whales timber minerals furs and numerous numerous other things throughout all the territory tributary to Hudson bayThe bay The name of Rupert Rupert's s L Land nd was given to the district and although this t title Ue was long since dropped officially it is still heard and the the Church of England still has a a bishop of Rupert's Land j i The company was practically authorized authorized author author- to establish and maintain a government government gov gov- ov- ov throughout a territory of hundreds hundreds hundreds' hundreds hun hun- of thousands of square miles in ine e extent tent This was held until Its transfer trans trans- fer for to the dominion government in 1869 In consider consideration tion of and the reservation to the company of certain certain certain tain lands and privileges If the right man could have access to the records the legends and the campfire campfire camp camp- camp campfire fire tales of this remarkable institution a series of books might be written which by comparison would make the tales seem almost insipid in insipid insipid in- in and Mayne Reids Reid's stories almost tedious Many a ladys lady's muff has cost costa a 11 mans man's life and many a collar has has has' been sent to market at the price of suffering and danger In 1783 a charter was obi obtained obtained ined by the Northwest Fur company company of Montreal on the he ground of or a claim that It was the legal successor df f the old French French company For nearly 40 years a bitter and often bloody contest was maintained maintained main main- between this and the old company com com- pany In 1816 th the site of the present city of Winnipeg was the scene of a pitched battle The two companies were consolidated in 1821 because both were convinced that a continuance of such hostilities meant ruin min to both The Hudsons Hudson's Bay company has been I one of the most f Important advance guards of civilization on this con con- Around many of the forts and p ports from which the hardy and courageous courageous courageous cour cour- ageous voyageurs and debois de do bois boas brought the bales of pelts by dog dogsled dogsled sled and canoe there have grown up prosperous towns and cities Victoria Winnipeg Calgary and Edmonton were originally trading posts of this company com com- pany About 25 years ago the company put steamboats on the Saskatchewan and the Mackenzie But even now it has har stations in the far north where mailis mail mall mallIs mailis Is received only once a year York Factory established about 1670 and and Fort Churchill both on the western shore of Hudson bay will wUI some day be thriving cities shipping points for millions of bushels of grain and thousands thousands thousands thousands' thou thou- sands sands' of cattle by direct steamer lines i ito to Europe |