South West Company
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South West Company (1811-1820) - A British-American fur trading company established in 1811. The British North West Company (NWC) joined with John Jacob Astor's American Fur Company (AFC) in an agreement signed on 11 Jan 1811 in New York to form the South West Company (SWC). The intent was to consolidate all of the fur trading posts the southern shore of Lake Superior under a company that had at least some American ownership. The SWC would then controlled the fur trade on the southern shore of Lake Superior and have two ports (New York and Montreal) to receive supplies and trade goods and to ship furs. The arrangement was not popular with the NWC traders and partners that were directly affected. The War of 1812 and it's aftermath made this arrangement impossible and caused the South West Company to be dissolved. The NWC resumed control of the Fond du Lac Department until the post-war American Congress barred foreigners from trading in American territory in 1816. Remnants existed until 1820. See Also: Sources:
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