1783

MONTRÉAL IN A FUR COAT

The American Revolution and the new boundary delineation profoundly changes the fur trade. The impossibility of exploiting resources south of the Great Lakes compels travelling merchants, who were well funded by new British immigrants in Quebec, to go further north, near Hudson Bay.

The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) already holds many fur-trading posts in the North, but the newcomers achieve better results. This situation pushes the HBC to found new trading posts in the interior. In 1783, the new North West Company is founded in Montréal, igniting a fierce rivalry with the HBC. After armed confrontations, the government forces the two companies to amalgamate.

Strong competitive pressure from American companies encourages the newly merged company to explore and found new posts in the West. As the fur trade declines, colonization becomes more important. As a result, railroads are built, and Montréal becomes an important rail centre.