Village of Fort Simpson Municipal Historic Site

Hudson's Bay Company Shed

Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories

Hudson's Bay Company Shed exterior, south side, 2004

Hudson's Bay Company Shed exterior, south side, 2004

Photo: A.Geggie/GNWT-2004

Built
1935
Recognized
2004
By
Village of Fort Simpson

The register’s text, word for word

Description

Situated on McKenzie Drive on the Fort Simpson waterfront, the Hudson’s Bay Company Shed is a small storage building dating from around 1935. Only the building is designated.

Heritage value

The heritage value of the Hudson’s Bay Company Shed resides in the fact that it is the only structure surviving from the original Hudson’s Bay Company compound. Company buildings tended to conform to a uniform colour scheme; white walls with green trim and red roofs, said in the 1930s to be the most attractive colours in the wilderness, giving a bright appearance to HB Co. settlements. The village of Fort Simpson became a permanent settlement in 1822 when the Hudson's Bay Company began construction of a trading post, naming it for George Simpson, then Governor of Rupert's Land. The village remained primarily a "company town" until around 1910. In its traditional Hudson’s Bay Company livery of white walls and red roof, the shed is an icon, linking Fort Simpson to its past as a Hudson’s Bay Company settlement and trading centre.

SourceVillage of Fort Simpson Heritage Bylaw.

Character‑defining elements

The heritage value of the Hudson’s Bay Company Shed is defined by:

  • Its HBC colours—white walls and red roof.
  • Its original materials, volume, layout and construction.

End of the register’s text

Location

Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories, X0E, Canada

61.86056° N, 121.35139° W

Get directions (opens in a new tab)

Being on the register doesn’t make a place open to visitors. Many are private homes or businesses; please view them from the street.

Loading map…