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Canada / Canada’s Great Moments / Drawing 07

Canadian history · Drawing 07 of 37

Trading at York Factory

1684

Colouring illustration: Trading at York Factory
An imagined exchange: the small post, clothing and goods are simplified, and the people portray no one.© Atlasmio · All rights reserved

In 1684, an English company built a trading post at York Factory, near Hudson Bay, on Cree land. Cree traders exchanged furs there for kettles and blankets.

Look together

What is the clerk offering in exchange for the furs?

An idea to try

Play a trading game with buttons, spoons and small toys. Agree together on what makes an exchange fair for both people.

For the adult reading along

A little more to discover

The Hudson’s Bay Company built York Fort in 1684 on the Hayes River, 8 km from Hudson Bay. For more than a century its traders stayed on the coast, relying on Cree and Assiniboine middlemen who brought furs from the interior, and on local Cree who hunted, trapped and fished. Furs were exchanged for guns, kettles, knives and blankets. York Factory First Nation, whose people call themselves Ininéwak, says the trade was built on the knowledge and skills of its people.

The French and English fought over the post in the 1690s. After it closed in 1957, the York Factory Cree were moved inland to York Landing (Kawéchiwásik), far from their homes and the graves of their loved ones; the Nation calls it a forced relocation. Today it is rebuilding its community. Ask your child what makes a trade fair for both sides.

Sources and context (3)

These links lead to other websites. Explore them with an adult. Source titles appear in their original language; some linked pages are in French.

  • Parks Canada — York Factory National Historic Site: Human historyYork Fort built in 1684 on the north shore of the Hayes River, 8 km upstream from the Bay; Cree and Assiniboine middlemen; pelts exchanged for guns, kettles, knives and blankets; Cree who trapped, hunted and fished for the Company; French-English fighting from 1694 to 1697; closed in 1957.
  • York Factory First Nation — Our History (archived page)The Nation’s own account: the Ininéwak have lived in northeastern Manitoba for thousands of years; the fur trade was built on their knowledge and skills; Europeans stayed on the coast for more than a century; post closed on July 22, 1957; forced relocation to York Landing (Kawéchiwásik); the Nation is rebuilding today.
  • The Canadian Encyclopedia — York FactoryFirst post built in 1684 on the peninsula between the Hayes and Nelson rivers; Indigenous name Kischewaskaheegan; large canoes from the interior; closed in 1957.

Source review: 2026-09-24. Illustrations simplify places and scenes; they are not historical documents.