What if Hudson Bay pioneers killed by Polar Bears or Indians?

raharris1973

Gone Fishin'
what if grossiliers and radisson are killed before the can bring their first big haul of furs from the Hudson Bay Area?

To review Otl, the French in Montreal were hostile to their business and the duo ended up going into business with English instead.

If the don't start exploiting the territory, how long could the bay have been left unexploited by Europeans and which Europeans would most likely exploit it and why?
 

Dathi THorfinnsson

Sigh.

For a long time, the HBC only maintained ports in the Bay itself, and required the indians to bring the furs to them. It was only after the NorthWest company, etc., started making serious inroads into the fur-trade that the HBC started establishing inland trading posts. Note that the first such inland post was Cumberland House, which was only established in 1774, perceptibly after the French had been kicked out of Québec.

Most of the trading posts on the Bay itself were Polar Bear territory, not grizzly.
The local natives loved the European goods they could get for their furs. No way are they going to evict the traders.
Even if some local band DID do that, the HBC had several posts around the Bay, and they'd rebuild from the existing ones. Also, any band that cut of access to steel tools to their neighbours would be pushed out of the way by said neighbours so they could gain access again. Ever try felling a tree with stone tools? Have fun.
 

raharris1973

Gone Fishin'
Well before Grossiliers & Radisson, trading hadn't been established, and natives could have killed them without knowing they brought valuable goods or that they were trying to trade, and that all they wanted was furs. Sure, eventually the local Indians will start trading with white men. And in that harsh climate, there's plenty of other ways for them to die than homicide or polar bear-icide. My question boils down to, if the two of them hadn't shown the way, who would have eventually tried and succeeded, and when?
 
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