As you were growing up, your family had a favorite product or companies’ products they thought were quality items. Nowadays we’re not sure of the quality of many products. Brand names are not what they used to be. Corporations buy out others, thus trusted names disappear making it difficult to trust quality and service.
How about a corporation that is over 300 years old? Yes, it is still going— “The Bay,” one such company is the Hudson Bay Company. The main thrust of The Bay was fur trading. Beaver pelts or furs were their main product. A demand for furs in Europe back in the late 1600’s and the next centuries was so great three companies were organized to acquire furs in the North American Continent. The first company was The Bay.
The early explorers found the beaver furs in demand and were responsible for starting trade with the indigenous people. The area we all know as Canada, at the time, was controlled by England. So, a group of men obtained a charter to do the business of trading. Every five years this charter was renewed; so, The Hudson Bay Company actually controlled the country of Canada until the 1860’s.
Trading posts were set up in the region of Hudson Bay called factories and the person assigned to run the business was referred to as the Factor. The native people brought beaver pelts to the factory for trade. Items for trade were brought from England via a shipping route from the north into Hudson Bay.
Trading goods most sought after by the natives were metal goods, such as cooking pots, axes, and guns. Also popular were the Hudson Bay blankets.
The job of a Factor was lonely. A ship arrived once a year to resupply the factory. The perfect men for the job lived in the wind-swept Orkney Islands off the coast of Scotland.
Many beaver furs were made into hats; the “Top Hat” was the most desirable. However, at least five other designs were also popular. A solution of liquid with some mercury was used in the curing and shaping of the hats. The mercury solution was a detriment to the workers. Their nervous system was affected and the saying “Mad as a Hatter,” became common.
Two other companies entered the fur business later on. The Northwest Fur Company, which operated by seeking out the natives where they lived, thus transporting trade goods with them. Numerous beautiful paintings were created capturing a canoe filled with French paddlers and a man sitting in the middle with a beaver skin top hat. He was a stockholder in the Northwest Company. His interest was keeping track of the furs.
The third fur company was called the American Fur, which operated mainly in the United States. The first millionaire in Wisconsin operated this company headquartered out of Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin.