In 1670, King Charles II granted a royal charter to the Hudson’s Bay Company, establishing it as a major player in the fur trade and colonial expansion in North America. This charter granted the company trading rights in the Hudson Bay drainage basin, significantly impacting the economy and geopolitics of the region. The Hudson’s Bay Company played a crucial role in shaping the history of Canada and the development of trade networks.

The fur trade shaped stories and poems about wilderness, empire, Indigenous contact, commerce, survival, and the moral costs of luxury consumption. Poets like Robert Service and later, Margaret Atwood, explored themes of nature and colonialism, often highlighting the voices of Indigenous peoples.