Hudson's Bay Company Archives

Manitoba is home to one of the most important pieces of Canadian history, the HBC archives. Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) is one of the oldest companies in the world and helped to build Canada into a country. Providing a population of settlers from Europe they originally came here to trap and provide the highly popular beaver pelts to Europe. HBC played an important role in the settlement and urban development of western Canada. HBC was founded on 2 May 1670 when King Charles granted a charter to his cousin Prince Rupert and his associates.

Located in Winnipeg Manitoba the Hudson’s Bay Company Archives (HBCA) holds many textual records, photographs and architectural drawings. The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) insisted on meticulous record-keeping and most of its records remained in its possession. The result is a documentary archive remarkable for its size - more than 3,000 linear metres - and its continuity. The earliest HBC record in the archives is a minute book dating from 1671, recording decisions made at the meetings of the HBC's Governor and Committee. With the exception of a four-year gap, all the minute books from 1671 to 1970 are in the HBCA. The photographic holdings of the Hudson's Bay Company Archives total approximately 130,000 images. The Hudson's Bay Company Archives has the largest holding of fur trade maps in North America. There are more than 12,000 maps, charts, plans and architectural drawings, dating between the years 1563 and about 1982.
http://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives/hbca/about/hbca.html
The Hudson's Bay Company Archives (HBCA) Library is a valuable research resource. It contains over 10,000 titles (books, articles, periodicals, videos and CD-ROMs) on the HBC, especially its fur trade; Aboriginal peoples of North America; and the history of western Canada, the USA and the Arctic. The library was enlarged considerably in the year 2000 by the acquisition of the library of The Beaver magazine. There is a significant rare book collection, which includes some of the personal library of fur trader Peter Fidler (1769-1822) and books from libraries maintained at posts such as York Factory.The library is accessible only in the Manitoba Archives Building. A partial catalogue is available online through the Library Information Portal. Photocopies of articles and portions of books can be sent to patrons, unless the physical condition of the book prevents photocopying.