North West Company

North West Company, fur-trading company in Canada, 1783–1821. Nor'Westers (as members were called) such as Alexander Mackenzie and David Thompson were important in the exploration of Canada as far north and west as the Arctic and Pacific oceans. The company was in competition with the Pacific Fur Company and particularly (and sometimes violently) with the Hudson's Bay Company, with which it was forced to merge in 1821.