by Dr. Jewell Lorenz-Dunn, Olympia Branch Researcher
The Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) posts in Oregon Territory, Washington Territory, Alaska, and Canada provided animal furs, salmon, and lumber to go east for trade.
Fort Steilacoom was established in the Puget Sound area as a military post on the company’s property in August of 1849. Fort Vancouver was originally a Hudson’s Bay post, established early, in 1824 or 1825, and operated under several other titles. Fort Vancouver was transitioned to military barracks around 1849, and the company transferred out of the fort around 1860.
The Hudson’s Bay Company was predominately made up of French employees with Native American wives until 1829, when the Hudson’s Bay Company added a port stop in Hawaii (called the Sandwich Islands by Americans at the time). This created HBC jobs for many Hawaiians that enabled them to find their way to the Pacific Northwest.
It’s estimated there were anywhere from 50 to 400 Hawaiians employed by Hudson’s Bay Company between 1829 and 1861, but no exact numbers can be verified. Many of the Hawaiian employees...
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