Originals of portions of the collection in: Metropolitan Toronto Library; Sheffield (U.K.) City Libraries; Scottish Record Office; and U.S. National Archives
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.
The collection contains materials assembled by the Oregon Historical Society from a variety of sources. Approximately one quarter of the materials are original documents and the rest are photocopies or on microfilm. Included are a number of articles on the history of the Hudson's Bay Company and the North West Company; a plan of Fort George; and copies of printed texts and British government documents from the early 19th century relating to the Company's activities. Among the original documents are: accounts and inventories; letters to Company officials such as Sir James Douglas, Cuthbert Cummings (Chief trader at Wemontachinque), and James A. Grahme; letters from Louis Decerre; papers of George S. McTavish, 1860-1893; and an anonymous diary recording an 1875 trip from Montreal to Esquimaux Point and other locales in Canada. The collection documents a wide range of the Company's activities, from fur trading to the construction and provision of forts to relations with the Native American tribes.
The collection is arranged in the following series:
The collection is open to the public.
The Oregon Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Research Library prior to any use of reproductions. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use of reproductions may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright holders.
Hudson's Bay Company Collection, Mss 1502, Oregon Historical Society Research Library
The collection was acquired from a variety of sources.
Howard McKinley Corning, ed.,
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
Cummings was the chief trader at Wemontachinque
Concerns corn, cattle, and fur shipments; accidents; personnel misconduct; travel difficulties because of the weather.
Miscellaneous business, such as trips, trapping, and supplies.
Accounts and inventory; transporting supplies; Indian misconduct while working.
Offered to buy horses; supply shipments.
Asked that his son, James, be re-hired as an Indian interpreter following a misunderstanding concerning his intent to "take the boy away" at a future time.
Storage of provisions and liquor.
Crops and winter provisions; selling cattle and corn; loneliness.
Requested ammunition and supplies; Cummings's upcoming visit; the Indians' spring hunt.
Unclothed Indians complaining of the cold; requests that his parents be notified if an accident happens on his voyage; fur shipments.
Letters of January 22 and September 17, 1832, sending men to get "intelligence of the Iroquois"; supply shipments; accounts.
Letter to Joseph LeBlanc, 1832 August 6, concerns supply shipment; letter to Alexander Mayuere, 1833 January 8, concerns supply shipment; includes separate itemized list of articles sent.
Typescript copies of letters concerning Douglas's appointment as agent for Vancouver Island: miscellaneous information concernng appointment of Captain W. C. Grant as Surveyor; new employeees and duties; sale of land to settlers; funds for public purposes; Indian land rights; interest rates; Douglas's salary; arrival of coal miners; Captain W.C. Grant's arrival and credit; settlers; building up Fort Victoria; selling land; school books.
Letters of November 18, 1853, October 12 and November 13, 1854, concerning a new school master; Douglas's salary; duties.
Photocopy of a letter concerning geologic exploration of Vancouver Island. Original in Metropolitan Toronto Library.
Letters and notes dated 1848 December 5, 1849 August 4, and 1850 October 25 concerning: sales of land and mines; Douglas's duties; colonization; Douglas's appointment as Governor of Vancouver Island; his duties; revenues; salaries; land sales and titles.
Letters of 1850 March 26 and August 30 concerning: company business on Vancouver Island; hiring; coal mines; colonization.
General Cornelius Gilliam's intention of levying contributions on HBC property to equip troops to attack Indians who had massacred the Whitmans.
Changing fur trade situation because of the Territory transfer to the Dominion of Canada; pay disappointment; asking for reorganization of the business.
Hand written copy of a letter concerning boat building and supply shipments
Hand written copy of a letter concerning guaranteed dividends in light of falling fur trade.
Hand written copies of letters concerning supply shipments; and reports of trapping, hunting, and provisions at various spots.
Hand written copies dated January 12, 24, 26, February 5, 16, 1878, concerning: shipment of bad pemmican; additional pay for HBC officers; miscellaneous business.
Extracts of letters concerning supplies; road repairs; horse purchases; changing headquarters locations.
Letter of 1852 February 23 from Hardistry asking for an apprentice clerkship, and family matters; and letter of 1854 April 7 from Hardistry's father concerning family and friends, news of Joseph Hardistry moving to Oreogn, and the Northwest boundary dispute.
Appointing Donald Alexander Smith to Montreal to represent him as attorney and agent in Great Britain.
Letters concerning Edward McGillivray's mismanagement of Lapieres House; Hunter's suggestons for taking care of it during the summer; news of the "Youcon"; and the Indians trading with Russians.
Letter of 1825 December 9 to George Canning concerning Northwest boundary dispute and history of possession; and letter of 1826 July 25 to William Huskisson concerning Columbia River posts establishment and American fur interests. Also inlcudes letter excerpts concerning Columbia River and Northwest boundaries.
Letter of 1872 September 10 from James S. Clouston, Alexander McDonald, and George S. McTavish requesting pay increases; and extract of letter of 1872 December 4 from William Armit refusing to pay increase for Chief Factors James S. Clouston, George S. McTavish, and Alexander McDonald.
Photocopies from originals in the Sheffield, UK, City Libraries.
Includes correspondence, notes, memoranda, and financial records
Correspondence, accounts, judgement of 1868 February 26
Correspondence; accounts with John Wylie, Stromness; notes to accompany a map returned to J.S. Dennis dated Rupert House, 1873 July 18.
Articles of partnership dated 1880 May 28 and with Mr. Webb dated 1881 May 6
Election papers, 1883 November 26; partnership dated Pembina 1884 September 1; quit claim deeds of Emily McTavish, 1884.
Co-partnership of Webb & McTavish, retail dealers, 1885 September 1; list of articles received from Historical Society of Winnipeg, property of G.S. McTavish, for the HBC exhibit for the Colonial and Indian Exhibition in London and to be returned to G.S. McTavish, 1886 April 21
Estate papers of Emily McTavish
Includes hand written copy of a memorandum to Mr. Lockhart concerning how to boil porpoise blubber for oil, and how to net porpoises.
From Dr. Hartwig's
Photocopies from originals in the Scottish Record Office
Original letter, ALs, from James Hadley to William Cameron McKay, 1839 October 24, concerning mutual friends, college, and the weather; sworn statement by George Himes regarding the Indian parentage of William McKay, 1913 January 8 (typescript, carbon); and biography of William McKay by Dr. Roger Keane, undated (typescript).
Photocopy of printed book titled
Photocopy of
Paper titled "The origin of the Puget Sound Agricultural Company" by A. C. Anderson, 1885; copy of the Company's prospectus, undated; "A.C. Anderson's memo relating to the Cowlitz Farm, &c., 1841"; and copy of letter from A. Barclay regarding agricultural settlements in the Columbia District, 1843 September 2.
"Report on the Red River Settlement," 1870 (photocopy of handscript); "The Red River rebellion : fact for the consideration of both houses of Parliament" (photocopy of printed item); and photocopy of article from the
Published in the
Contains: