Beaver Club Medal

Tales and Treasures from the rich legacy of the Hudson’s Bay Company.

Written by Canada’s History staff

 — Posted March 10, 2010
The Manitoba Museum, HBC Collection

This medal belonged to Sir George Simpson, governor of the Hudson’s Bay Company.

It was given to members of the Beaver Club — fur traders who had spent at least one year on the frontier.

The Montreal-based club was founded in 1785 by the HBC’s rival, the North West Company. Simpson received his medal in 1820, one year before the merger of the two companies.

A Century of History in Your Pocket

 

Canada’s History Archive, featuring The Beaver, is now available for your browsing and searching pleasure!

Browse The Beaver

This article originally appeared in the April-May 2010 issue of Canada’s History magazine.

Themes associated with this article

Related to Fur Trade

Tales & Treasures: The Nonsuch

Dr. Jamie Morton, curator of the Hudson's Bay Company Collection tells us about the original Nonsuch, the history of the replica, and the origin of the HBC museum collection.

Video

Spectacular Knife

Often called a buffalo knife or chief’s knife, this artifact was described as “extremely heavy… a sort of butcher’s cleaver with a point instead of squared-off end.”

Article

Christmas at Moose Factory

Doug Sinclair and Eduard Buckman, the film crew for Fur Country, struggle with the terrain, which delays their arrival in Moose Factory until Christmas afternoon.

Article

Cribbage Board

Cribbage was a popular game amongst early explorers and whalers.

Article