History and the Uses of the Past at the Hudson Bay Company

As North America’s oldest firm, the Hudson’s Bay Company— officially “The Company of Adventurer’s Trading into Hudson’s Bay” –has since its establishment in 1670 been a foundational element of Canada’s economic, political, social and cultural history. As the company marks its 350th anniversary in 2020, this panel provides three important perspectives that reflect the company’s ongoing and pivotal role in Canada’s history and the persevering the country’s, and the firm’s, heritage. The three papers combine to deliver insights into by the historical and heritage legacy of the HBC, and how collaboration has played a key role in the evolution of the firm in its relations with both Indigenous peoples and the historical preservation community in Canada.
The first paper in the panel, “The Essential Role of Indigenous Consumer Satisfaction in the Eighteenth Century Hudson’s Bay Company”, by Professor Ann Carlos (University of Colorado), examines the way by which Indigenous peoples’ taste, preferences and demands structured the fur trade, not merely in terms of their cultural practices, but in how they were able to shape prices as well. The paper also provides a broader institutional understanding of the company’s management of its long-distance trading relationships with Indigenous peoples. Professor George Colpitts (University of Calgary), “Coordinating Heritage in Hudson’s Bay Company Marketing and Development, 1925-1931,” illustrates the ways the HBC utilized its heritage and historical legacy to attempt to modernize its operations in the wake of its 250th Anniversary. Providing an insight into the inner workings of the firm as it collaborated with private and public sector entities to showcase its long history as proof of its superior, more just and uninterrupted paternal support for Canada’s Indigenous peoples. In his paper, “The Hudson’s Bay Company and the Creation of Canada’s History Society,” Professor Joe Martin (Rotman School of Management) takes the HBC heritage story to the 1990s, and traces the firm’s decision to brand its historical legacy through a corporate gift of C$30 million to build facilities, transfer artefacts and establish new historical institutions as part of their ongoing commitment to the company’s heritage mandate. The HBC’s decision to collaborate with the Manitoba Government and historical entities is another reflection of the firm’s deep historical ties, and its continued place as one of Canada’s most important entities.
These three papers, given in the HBC’s 350th Anniversary year, recognize the ongoing importance of the company to Canada. By interrogating—not simply celebrating –the HBC’s place in the Canada’s history and heritage, they illustrate the importance of collaboration in shaping our understanding of North America’s longest-operating firm.