Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 1, Number 6, 1 ʻAukake 1984 — Hudson's Bay Influence Left Mark in Hawaii [ARTICLE]

Hudson's Bay Influence Left Mark in Hawaii

Among the least known aspects of early I9th century history of Honolulu is the role and influence of the Hudson's Bay Company. During the peak of the whaling era in the 1830's, Honolulu became a major wintering port of whalers. Using the time for outfitting and refitting, the whale ships required a considerable amount of lumber whieh was supplied by theagentsofthe Hudson's BayCompany. lmporting materials from British Columbia, the Hudson's Bay Company also found a loeal market for salted salmon, most of whieh was consumed by Hawaiians. During the 1940's, the company also served in part as a financial institution making loans to private as well as government clients. In one particular instance, the company provided the loan necessary to pipe water from Nu'uanu Valley to Honolulu, thus contributing to the

growth and beauty of the island capital. Perhaps the greatest service by the company to the Hawaiian Kingdom was occasioned by the forceable assumption of sovereignty by Captain George Lord Paulet of Great Britain in 1843. When the matter eame to the attention of Sir George Simpson, Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company, he eommunicated such an unauthorized act to the company's London headquarters. Shortly thereafter, the Admiralty dispatched Sir Richard Thomas to the islands to restore Kamehameha III to the throne. The company conducted its mercantile activities until the 1860s. After that, a chapter to British influence in the islands eame to an abrupt close. Hudson's Bay Company today is known simply as The Bay and features large department stores and shopping malls throughout Canada.