Hudson’s Bay Company is established
Hudson’s Bay Company Charter. HBC Corporate Collection, HBCA 1987/363-C-25/6
May 2, 1670
On May 2, 1670, England’s King Charles II granted a royal charter to a fur-trading venture called the Hudson’s Bay Company. Unbeknownst to inhabitants of the region, the charter granted the company title to a vast area of North America that was later known as Rupert’s Land. The company controlled the fur trade for several centuries and when this industry declined, it transformed itself into a mercantile venture supplying the developing West.
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