A Home Away from Home:
Stories of Scottish Emigration

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Alexander MacArthur and another fur trader, circa 1868 (NLS reference: Acc. 10623/6)

From 1864 to 1868, Alexander MacArthur worked as second officer and accountant at the Hudson’s Bay Company office in Montreal. The Hudson’s Bay Company was established in London by Royal Charter in 1670, and went on to dominate the fur trade throughout British North America. In 1868, Alexander set up a wholesale fur business and received a commission from the Canadian government to supply moccasins for the army.

Furs for women, from ‘The Autumn and Winter Catalogue 1910-1911of the Hudson's Bay Company’, 1910 (NLS shelfmark: HP3.84.547)

From 1864 to 1868, Alexander MacArthur worked as second officer and accountant at the Hudson’s Bay Company office in Montreal. The Hudson’s Bay Company was established in London by Royal Charter in 1670, and went on to dominate the fur trade throughout British North America. At one time, the Company owned 1.5 million square miles of land, and was one of the largest landowners in the world. With the decline of the fur trade at the end of the 19th century, the Company began to focus on its retail business. The original trading posts became sale shops, and eventually department stores.

Fort Garry in 1871, from ‘Manitoba and the Northwest’, circa 1870s (NLS shelfmark: Acc. 10623/6)

In 1869, Alexander MacArthur moved to the village of Winnipeg, adjoining Fort Garry in the Red River Settlement. Fort Garry was a trading post located at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers. Just after Alexander arrived in the Red River Settlement to join his brother Peter, there was an uprising of the Métis inhabitants under the leadership of Louis Riel. The Métis were the children of mixed European and First Nations or Inuit parentage. Alexander and Peter were both involved in the subsequent Red River Rebellion, fighting on the loyalist side. The Rebellion led to the formation of the province of Manitoba in 1870. Three years later, the Red River settlement, including Fort Garry, was incorporated into the city of Winnipeg.

Advert for Hudson's Bay Company farming lands, from ‘MacDougall's Guide to Manitoba’, 1880 (NLS shelfmark: APS.2.94.10)

From 1864 to 1868, Alexander MacArthur worked as second officer and accountant at the Hudson’s Bay Company office in Montreal. Alexander’s brother, Duncan, also worked for the Company. The Hudson’s Bay Company was established in London by Royal Charter in 1670, and went on to dominate the fur trade throughout British North America. At one time, the Company owned 1.5 million square miles of land, and was one of the largest landowners in the world.

West side Main Street, Winnipeg, looking North, 1879, from ‘MacDougall's Guide to Manitoba’, 1880 (NLS shelfmark: APS.2.94.10)

In 1869, Alexander MacArthur moved to the Red River Settlement. In 1873, the Settlement was incorporated into the new city of Winnipeg. Alexander moved to the Red River Settlement to join his brother Peter. All five of the MacArthur brothers emigrated to the USA and Canada during the 1860s and 1870s.

Albumen prints from ‘Sports, pastimes & pursuits of Canada’, by William Notman, 1866 (NLS shelfmark: Phot.el.3)

These photographs were taken by William Notman who emigrated from Scotland to Montreal, Canada in 1856. He worked for a dry goods company before becoming one of Canada’s most famous and successful photographers. These photographs, posed in a studio, were published in a book about Canadian sports and pastimes.

During the 1860s, Alexander MacArthur was involved in the fur trade in Canada. He worked for the Hudson’s Bay Company, and later established his own wholesale fur business. Beaver pelts were used to make felt hats, which were highly fashionable in Europe at the time.

Montreal Harbour with Victoria Bridge from ‘The Canadian Handbook and Tourist's Guide’, 1867 (NLS shelfmark: Phot.sm.4)

From 1864 to 1868, Alexander MacArthur worked as second officer and accountant at the Hudson’s Bay Company office in Montreal.

‘The causes of the rising in the Red River Settlement 1869-70’, Manitoba Historical and Scientific Society publication number 1 (NLS shelfmark: SRJ.1843)

Alexander MacArthur was one of the founding members of the Manitoba Historical and Scientific Society 1879, and served as president. He contributed a number of historical and zoological papers to the Society, including this one which was presented on 10 October 1882 (during his time as president). Alexander built up a personal library of 300 volumes, as well as collecting paintings and stuffed birds.

Extract from letter from Alexander MacArthur to his brother Duncan concerning his move from the Toronto Bank to the Hudson Bay Company in Montreal. Toronto 13 July 1864 (NLS reference: Acc. 10623/2)