Local: Thunder Bay History - Early Settlement
In 1820 the Hudson's Bay Company acquired all the assets of the North West
Company, ending a long-standing fur trade war. Ironically, at the same time, the fur stocks were
declining in the centre of the continent. In the mid-1800s, mining became the
focus of international attention, as people began to prospect for & find copper, silver and
gold, as well as amethyst, Ontario's official gem.
In the mid 1880s, the final links in the nation's trans-continental Canadian Pacific railroad was
completed. Heavy shipping on the upper Great Lakes was initiated to supply the fast-growing heavy industry in the
American midwest. Fort William in the south and Port Arthur to the north had secured itself as a significant port for grain
from Western Canada and ore shipments from Northern Ontario. The region continued to grow with
the development of manufacturing, shipbuilding and pulp and paper industries.
More history of Thunder Bay
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