Fort Simpson (Columbia Department) facts for kids
Fort Simpson was a important trading post for furs, built in 1831 by the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC). It was first located near the mouth of the Nass River in what is now British Columbia, Canada. In 1834, the fort was moved to the Tsimpsean Peninsula. This new spot was about halfway between the Nass River and the Skeena River. Later, people called it Port Simpson or by its native name, Lax Kw'alaams. The fort was a key part of the HBC's business in the Columbia Department.
Why Fort Simpson Was Built
One main reason Fort Simpson was built was to compete with American traders. These American traders were paying higher prices for furs along the coast. This meant that furs from the interior of New Caledonia, an HBC area, were going to the Americans instead of the HBC.
Fort Simpson, along with another fort called Fort McLoughlin, was built to stop this. The goal was to get the furs before they reached the American traders. The Americans did not have permanent trading posts on the coast. This plan worked well. By 1837, the competition from American traders was mostly over.
In 1829, George Simpson, a leader at the HBC, told the Russian-American Company that the HBC planned to build a fort. This fort would be at the mouth of the Nass River, near the border of their territories. In 1830, Aemilius Simpson visited the area. He saw that furs were indeed being brought to the coast. He then made plans to build the fort.
Construction started in April 1831. Aemilius Simpson and Peter Skene Ogden were in charge. They traded at the new post and the Queen Charlotte Islands that summer. Aemilius Simpson died in September 1831. The new fort was named Fort Simpson in his honor. Ogden became the Chief Trader.
A Great Location
In 1834, Fort Simpson moved to a better spot on the Tsimpsean Peninsula. A village grew around the fort, which became known as Port Simpson. In 1986, its name was officially changed to Lax Kw'alaams. The water body where Fort Simpson was located is also called Port Simpson.
Fort Simpson quickly became very successful. It became the main trading spot for a large area. For example, in 1841, about 14,000 people visited the fort. Most of these visitors were Indigenous people. The Tsimshian people became very important in the trade. They collected furs from other coastal groups like the Tongass, Haida, and Kaigani. They also traded with the Dakelh (Carrier) people from the interior.
Soon, a village of Tsimshian "homeguard" surrounded the fort. This village had at least 800 people. The homeguard controlled most of the Indigenous trade. They also provided food, security, and workers for the fort. By the end of the 1830s, Fort Simpson made more money from furs than any other HBC post on the Pacific coast. At first, food came from other HBC posts like Fort Vancouver. But over time, the local Indigenous trade supplied most of the fort's needs.
In 1862, a terrible smallpox epidemic spread. Thousands of Indigenous people were forced to leave camps near Victoria. They returned to their homes, which spread smallpox across the Pacific Northwest coast. Tsimshian groups brought smallpox from Victoria to the Fort Simpson area. It began to spread widely in June 1862.
While other HBC forts and nearby Metlakatla tried to help, Fort Simpson did not take preventative steps. Deaths at the fort began in late May and peaked in late June. Throughout the summer, Nisga'a, Haida, Tlingit, and other Indigenous people kept arriving to trade. This helped smallpox spread even more. It went throughout the Northern Coast and up the Skeena and Nass Rivers into the interior of British Columbia.
By early July, the Indigenous village outside the fort was empty. People had either died or fled the area. Many Tsimshian peoples suffered greatly from smallpox in 1862–63.
Hudson's Bay Company's Main Post
By 1844, Fort Simpson was the most profitable fur trading area for the HBC's Columbia Department. Only New Caledonia made more money. Furs collected by the steamship Beaver also brought in a lot of money. In 1844, the profits from Fort Simpson and the Beaver were even more than New Caledonia's.
Because the Beaver was so successful in the early 1840s, the HBC closed all its other posts north of Fort Langley. This included Durham (Taku), Fort Stikine, and Fort McLoughlin. Only Fort Simpson remained open. It became the company's main base on the northwest coast.
