. Early Mackinac. A sketch historical and descriptive . hillwhich developed into the village of Mackinaw Pur Company was formed, andlater the Southwestern Company took shape, bothunder British control. The spirit of American enterprise began toassert itself. John Jacob Astor of New York, ona suggestion dropped by a chance fellow travelleron ship board, had made a venture in Canadianpeltries which proved very remunerative. Thisled to his embarking further into the business. Itwas not long before he secured a controllinginterest in both of these companies. Besides con-ducting operat
. Early Mackinac. A sketch historical and descriptive . hillwhich developed into the village of Mackinaw Pur Company was formed, andlater the Southwestern Company took shape, bothunder British control. The spirit of American enterprise began toassert itself. John Jacob Astor of New York, ona suggestion dropped by a chance fellow travelleron ship board, had made a venture in Canadianpeltries which proved very remunerative. Thisled to his embarking further into the business. Itwas not long before he secured a controllinginterest in both of these companies. Besides con-ducting operations in the regions already familiar,Astor sought to establish an agency on the Pacificcoast, a venturesome and unsuccessful enterpriseminutely described by Washington Irving in hisAstoria. The competition of the British trad-ers, particularly of the powerful NorthwestCompany, was found wherever Astor turned. Andthe war of 1812 naturally proved unfortunate forhis business schemes. But his prospects werevastly improved at the close of the war by an act. THE AMERICAN FUR COMPANY. 93 of Congress which prohibited all British tradersor companies operating in the United States. TheNorthwest Company, which had been freely sodoing, now found its establishment in those partsof little worth to its business. Astor went toMontreal and at almost his own price bought alltheir trading posts within the limits of the UnitedStates. Together with its posts, the NorthwestCompany transferred many of its experiencedagents, clerks, interpreters and boatmen. Therivalry between the two British Companies havingnow ceased their old strife did not long Hudsons Bay Companj-, and the Northwestsettled their long-time feud by joining together,the latter giving up its name in that of the olderassociation—the Hudsons Bay Company of twocenturies ago. Astor now had a free course. The two com-panies, the Mackinaw and the Southwest, whichhe already controlled, were merged under thepopular name of the
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