Hudson Bay Company

The Hudson Bay Company was incorporated in England on May 2, 1670, to seek a northwest passage to the Pacific, to occupy the lands adjacent to Hudson Bay, and to carry on any commerce with those lands that might prove profitable. The Company engaged in the fur trade during its first two centuries of existence. In the 1670s and '80s the company established a number of posts on the shores of James and Hudson bays. Most of these posts were captured by the French and were in French hands between 1686 and 1713, when they were restored to the company by the Treaty of Utrecht. It still exists as a commercial company active in real estate, merchandising, and natural resources, with headquarters in Toronto.