This past summer I’d spent a day wandering the streets of Banff with my dear friend, LestertheInvestor, and our lovely wives. Sylvia and I stopped by the Hudson Bay Co (HBC) store and spotted this clever display of blankets drapped over a canoe. It had been decades since I seen them in any number, much less so beautifully displayed. But there they were, the iconic Hudson Bay blankets (aka “HBC point blanket”), with traditional green, red and yellow stripes.
Not well known anymore is how these colorful woolen blankets helped tame the Canadian west. The Canadian frontier was first explored by Europeans in search of fur — the area was rich in game and the demand for furs in Europe was great. This was hundreds of years before the railroad was built, and the interior of the country was only accessible by water and most easily approached by canoe from Hudson Bay.
In May 1670, King Charles II granted the lands in the Hudson Bay watershed to “the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England trading into Hudson Bay.” The company soon became known as the “Hudson’s Bay Company” and it is the longest existing company in North America. HBC trading posts sprang up throughout the watershed (including at sites that would become Winnipeg, Calgary and Edmonton) and natives brought furs to these locations in exchange for goods such as knives, metalic pots, beads, needles, and these very popular blankets (which were lightweight and very warm).
Originally weavers from Witney, Oxfordshire were the principal suppliers of HBC blankets. The wool was (and still is) a blend of varieties from Britain and New Zealand. HBC Point blankets are also used to make coats, a tradition started by the Plains Indians who liked to wear the blankets instead of buffalo robes.
To make a long story short, the store continued to thrive even as the fur trade declined because the country grew more populous and wanted goods. You’ll still find department store-size HBC outlets in all larger Canadian cities — and even some smaller ones, like this one in Banff. They’re kind of lilke Canada’s Macys, but Macys’ doesn’t have an iconic blanket, and doesn’t trade in furs.
(North America’s oldest company, est. in 1670)
(Hudson Bay Blanket coats — very warm)
(As they did almost 350 years ago, the company still trades in furs)
I have a deep personal love for my Hudson Bay Blanket, inherited from my parents, Jim and Barbara McAleer, who bought it in the 1930s when they were newly weds.
A dry cleaner tried to steal it from me about 15 years ago. I told him I was going court over it and was told in found the next day!
I’m now going to check out the prices on the HBC website. Never have checked.
Your fan, NM
Thanks for the comment, Neil. Your story is not a unique one. Many of the HBC blankets get handed down from generation to generation to generation. They are very well made, last forever, and are priced accordingly.
I hope you’re sitting down when you see the price tag.
The display in Banff, like those in most of the town, are very much aimed at Japanese tourists, who like to buy “only the best”.
The coats are still around, although as they are made of wool they are pricey. I’d suggest plugging the following into your search engine. “Hudson’s Bay Company Wool coat” or “jacket”
See what pops up.
Is this store still around? I’ve been looking for this coat all over! Lol! Do I have to make a trip there to purchase it?