207 years ago today in 1814, the Hudson's Bay Company's Assiniboia governor issued the "pemmican proclamation." It banned any provisions from being given to North West Company traders in Assiniboia. It led to the Battle of Seven Oaks and the merger of the HBC and NWC. .../2

Assiniboia, created in 1811, sat on vast prairie land south of Lake Winnipeg. Massive bison herds had not yet been destroyed. Metis and Indigenous people who lived there dried bison meat into pemmican and traded it and other goods with HBC and NWC fur traders travelling the area.

A leader in the trade in the area was Cuthbert Grant, born to a Metis mother and Scottish father in 1792 at a NWC post managed by his father and situated between today's Yorkton SK and Daphin MB.

Traders of Montreal-based NWC travelled from Fort William (site of today's Thunder Bay) to Lake of the Woods, down the Winnipeg River to Lake Winnipeg. From there they could head south on the Red River or west on the Saskatchewan River. Either way, they needed provisions.

In 1809, the NWC company had built the trading post Fort Gibraltar right at the forks of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, the site of today's Winnipeg. Two years the HBC would claim that land as the heart of their Assiniboia.

When the HBC sold Assiniboia to Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk, in 1811, he was a major HBC shareholder. In 1812, 18 settlers arrived who built Fort Douglas on the Red River, just down from the forks and Fort Gibraltar.

The "Selkirk Purchase" lay over the path of NWC trade routes. On Jan 8, 1814, Selkirk's governor issued the pemmican proclamation prohibiting anyone in Assiniboia from giving provisions to anyone other than the HBC.

For two years there were HBC "confiscations" and skirmishes between HBC officers and local traders, such as Cuthbert Grant, who continued to provision NWC traders. Some HBC settlers abandoned the village and fled to Montreal with Metis assistance. More HBC settlers arrived.

On Jun 23, 1815, Metis and NWC attacks forced the Selkirk settlers to leave. They headed along the HBC route to Norway House on Lake Winnipeg then down the Nelson River to York Factory on Hudson's Bay.

On Jun 24, 1815, Fort Douglas, the houses and mills were burned.

On Nov 15, 1815, a new Selkirk governor and 160 settlers arrived to rebuild Fort Douglas.

On March 17, 1816, HBC governor Semple, officer Colin Robertson and others seized, dismantled and burned NWC's Fort Gibraltar. Armed batteries were built on the Red River at Fort Douglas.

On Jun 19, Grant and about 60 Metis were travelling down the Assiniboine River with provisions to meet NWC traders at Lake Winnipeg. To avoid armed Fort Douglas, they unloaded and took a cart track around the HBC colony.

A sentry from Fort Douglas saw them. HBC officers set out to confront them at the seven oaks on Frog Plain. A battle broke out killing 20 HBC officers, including governor Semple, and one Metis trader. That night the Selkirk colonists surrendered. The next morning they left.

Earl Selkirk had recently travelled from Scotland to Montreal and his ships were at Sault Ste. Marie when he heard news of the battle. On Aug 12 Selkirk attacked and seized the NWC's Fort William. On Nov 7 Selkirk was served with an arrest warrant, but Selkirk imprisoned the man.

On January 10, 1817, Fort Douglas was retaken by HBC forces – without a shot, as the site was largely abandoned.

William Coltman and John Fletcher were named commissioners to inquire into the conflict. Arriving at Red River on Jul 5, 1817, Coltman charged Selkirk for theft, false imprisonment and resisting arrest, Grant for murder, and Robertson for burning Fort Gibraltar.

The report by Flectcher and Coltman was released in 1818. They found the HBC officers fired the first shot at the Seven Oaks but the Metis had exceeded legal response.

Trials in Montreal followed. Cuthbert Grant and Colin Robertson were acquitted. Earl Selkirk spent much of his fortune defending himself and died in 1820 while his legal proceedings were still underway. There is a monument to Selkirk in Winnipeg near Colony St. and Memorial Blvd.

In 1821, the Montreal owners of NWC and the British owners of HBC merged their companies to eliminate competition and conflict. With the new monopoly, downsizing followed and many posts closed. Cartels are a foundation of Canada.

It has been argued the Seven Oaks conflict founded the Metis Nation in Red River. It certainly created a powerful backdrop for the 1869-1870 Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia, the provisional government of which Louis Riel was president, set up as the HBC withdrew in 1870.

After the trials, Grant became the leader of a community of about 2,000 mostly Metis people west of the forks on Assiniboine. Robertson became an HBC manager.

Robertson died in 1842, only a year after being elected as a Tory MP from a Montreal area riding in the first election in the new United Province of Canada.

Grant died in 1853 after a fall from his horse.