North West Company
The North West Company was founded in
1779 as a
major force in the fur trade from the 1780s to 1821.
It originally confined its operations to the Lake Superior Region and the valleys
of the
Red,
Assiniboine, and
Saskatchewan rivers. However during its growth it expanded as far as Oregon Country where it constructed
posts in what is now Washington and Idaho.
The company was managed primarily by Highland Scots who immigrated to Montreal after
1760, its original business leaders included Simon McTavish, Isaac Tod, and James McGill. Competition with the
Hudson's Bay Company increased in
1811-12 when the
HBC set up a post on the
Red River, in the NWC's area of operation. Conflict soon broke out between the two companies
when the NWC destroyed the
Red River colony. The
HBC retaliated by destroying the NWC's post at Fort Gibraltar (located in modern
Winnipeg).
There were many attempts by the NWC to end the
HBC monopoly in what is now Canada, such as blocking the plans for
HBC expansion by buying up
HBC stock in
London. However all these attempts failed. The North West Company also attempted to expand
and develop its company and its trade with China through a
liaison
with the
East India Company. This too proved unfruitful.
Due to the pressure of the British government and by a parliamentary act, the North
West Company merged with the
HBC in
1821 and took on the latter company's name.