A new dimension was added to the fur rivalry in 1811 when Lord Selkirk, a wealthy Scottish philanthropist, acquired control of the Hudson's Bay Company and obtained an immense grant of land intended for the resettlement of landless, Scots crofters. The North West Company saw the establishment of an agricultural settlement at the forks of the Red and Assiniboine rivers as a challenge, not so much to the trade itself but to the crucial food supply obtained in this region. In addition, the fort was situated near the Company's main line of communication and transportation, thus threatening its continued access to the West. Selkirk persisted in his scheme and Fort Douglas, shown above, became the settlement's centre of strength. It was from this fort on June 19, 1816, that the Governor of the colony, Robert Semple, and twenty men rode to their deaths in an armed encounter with a party of MÄtis led by Cuthbert Grant. Previously the North West Company had encouraged the MÄtis to harass the settlers by destroying crops and buildings. The battle of Seven Oaks was followed by a series of retaliatory acts by both sides until the British government intervened to encourage a reorganization of the entire structure of the fur trade.
Life in the Northwest returned to a more normal pace following the 1821 amalgamation of the two companies. This watercolour by Peter Rindisbacher shows a variety of important winter activities: hauling firewood, ice fishing and tobogganing furs to the fort to trade.
Courtesy: Picture Division, Public Archives of Canada (C-1932)
