Duncan Cameron
Duncan Cameron was a prominent figure in the early fur trade of Canada, born around 1764 in Glenmoriston, Scotland. He emigrated to Schenectady, New York, with his parents in 1773 and later relocated to Williamstown, Ontario, during the American Revolution. Cameron became an integral part of the North West Company, an organization formed to compete with the Hudson's Bay Company, where he rose to co-director of Lake Winnipeg operations by 1807. His career was marked by significant conflict with the Hudson's Bay Company, notably during skirmishes from 1791 to 1805, and he developed strong ties with Indigenous communities in the region.
In 1814, Cameron moved to Red River, Manitoba, where he faced challenges from Hudson's Bay Company settlers. Following an attack on Fort Gibraltar in 1816, he was captured but later acquitted of any wrongdoing. After receiving compensation from the Hudson's Bay Company for his wrongful imprisonment, he returned to Williamstown, where he married an Ojibwa woman and entered politics, serving in the legislative assembly of Upper Canada from 1825 to 1828. Duncan Cameron passed away on May 15, 1848, and is remembered in Manitoba, with Cameron Street named in his honor, recognizing his influence in the region's early history.
Subject Terms
Duncan Cameron
Trader
- Born: ca. 1764
- Birthplace: Glenmoriston, Scotland
- Died: May 15, 1848
- Place of death: Williamstown, Glengarry
Contribution: Duncan Cameron was a Scottish Canadian fur trader who worked for the North West Company, eventually rising through the ranks to become a managing partner. In April 1816, after a battle erupted over rival Hudson’s Bay Company’s establishment of a settlement at Selkirk, Manitoba, Cameron was imprisoned and sent to England to stand trial. He eventually was released, awarded damages for wrongful imprisonment, and established a career in Canadian politics, winning the 1824 election to the legislative assembly of Upper Canada.
Background
Duncan Cameron was born in Glenmoriston, Scotland, around 1764. When he was a child, Cameron left Scotland with his parents, Alexander Cameron and Margaret McDonell, settling in Schenectady, New York, in 1773.
When the American Revolution began, Cameron and his parents left New York and traveled north into the Lower Canada colony of Williamstown, Glengarry, in present-day Ontario. By 1785, Cameron became involved in the lucrative fur trade, working in the clerk’s office for a pair of independent fur traders based in the Lake Nipigon area of Ontario.
Career with the North West Company
Initially composed of a union of independent traders, the North West Company was established in 1783 to compete with the Hudson’s Bay Company, which held a monopoly on the fur trade. In the service of the North West Company, Cameron fought against the Hudson’s Bay Company representatives, who were trying to expand into the Lake Nipigon area. Forging a close relationship with the region’s aboriginal peoples, Cameron fought numerous skirmishes with representatives of the Hudson’s Bay Company from 1791 through 1805.
In 1800, after years of loyal service, Cameron became a partner in the North West Company and ascended to the co-directorship of the company’s Lake Winnipeg operations in 1807. By this time, however, the fur trade had slowed significantly because of fierce competition and the overhunting of fur-bearing animals. Cameron presided over a major reduction of his department’s labor force in 1808, before leaving to join the company’s post in Lac La Pluie, Ontario, in 1811.
In 1814, Cameron moved from Lac La Pluie to take charge of the North West Company’s operations in Red River, Manitoba. The Hudson’s Bay Company, under the watch of Lord Selkirk, established its own trading post in the Red River area in 1812, much to the dismay of the area’s tribes, settlers, and independent traders. Cameron initially used peaceful means to convince the Selkirk colony’s settlers to leave but was ultimately unsuccessful. In April 1816, Selkirk colonists attacked the North West Company’s post at Fort Gibraltar, and Cameron was taken prisoner by Hudson’s Bay Company representatives and extradited to England to stand trial.
Cameron was not found guilty of any crimes, however, and eventually was released from custody. He obtained financial compensation from the Hudson’s Bay Company for imprisoning him under false pretenses and returned to Canada in 1820, settling once more in Williamstown.
Later Life and Death
Though specific dates are unknown, Cameron married an Ojibwa woman sometime between 1807 and 1812 and started a family with her. Remaining in Williamstown, Cameron ran for office in the legislative assembly of Upper Canada and was elected to its ninth parliament in 1825, serving for three years until 1828.
Cameron died in Williamstown on May 15, 1848. The Winnipeg thoroughfare of Cameron Street was named to commemorate him as one of the most prominent and influential citizens in Manitoba’s early history.
Bibliography
Brown, Jennifer S. H. “Cameron, Duncan.” Dictionary of Canadian Biography. University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003. Web. 12 Aug. 2013.
“Duncan Cameron.” OntarioPlaques.com. Ontario’s Historical Plaques, 2013. Web. 12 Aug. 2013.
Hall, Norma, and Barbara Huck. “Fortitude in Distress: The North West Company and the War of 1812.” Beaver 82.4 (Aug./Sept. 2002): 8. Print.
“History.” Northwest.ca. North West Company, n.d. Web. 22 Aug. 2013.
“Memorable Manitobans: Duncan Cameron (c1764–1848).” Mhs.mb.ca. Manitoba Historical Society, 28 July 2008. Web. 9 Aug. 2013.