Hudson Bay Company San Francisco Editorial Photo

Long before we had huge department stores and massive shopping malls, fur trappers and traders would have to travel great distances, through all sorts of weather, to gather the various animal furs and skins. These would ultimately be brought to coffee houses and beer halls to be sold off. After a couple of 17th century French fur traders, in New France, learned of the quality of furs in the Hudson Bay region, they set out to discover it. And discover they had.Since the French Governor in Canada at the time had denied them the permission to the hunting and trading, the men instead went to Boston, Massachusetts, and met with some English men instead, who agreed to get them the help they needed. This was the very start of the `Hudson Bay Company` which now owns a group of department stores throughout North America. This building at 605 Commercial Street was their San Francisco location. As seen 27 July 2022.