Fur Trade Treasures Unlocked

The use of rim locks in the British Isles predates the mortise locks and bored cylindrical locks that are more commonly used today. Unlike the latter types, which involve holes cut into a door, rim locks are affixed to a door’s surface.

A 1940s dress blazer was worn by a Hudson’s Bay Company post manager.

This two-piece wedding dress was worn by Helène Hogue in 1896 when she married Calixte Landry; very few artifacts have a woman’s name connected to the record or any detailed provenance.

A ram’s head snuff mull belonged to Hudson’s Bay Company governor Sir George Simpson.

This model was commissioned by the HBC and built by Alan Coburn of Nanaimo, British Columbia, in the 1930s.

Passes and tokens were required to cross the bridge to St. Boniface, Manitoba.

HBC post managers working in remote locations were provided with a medical chest that included an assortment of surgical implements.

Cribbage was a popular game amongst early explorers and whalers.

Lead shots for firearms were cast in this double-sided mould.

This is a rare piece of surviving modern technology in the HBC Museum Collection, but exactly where this transceiver was operated remains a mystery.