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Anson Northup

Anson Northup, the first of many steamers to navigate the Red River from Minnesota to the Red River Colony. Shortly after its arrival in Fort Garry in June 1859, the Anson Northup was purchased by the Hudson's Bay Company and entrepreneur J.C. Burbank, who renamed it the Pioneer.

Anson Northup

Anson Northup, the first of many steamers to navigate the Red River from Minnesota to the Red River Colony. Shortly after its arrival in Fort Garry in June 1859, the Anson Northup was purchased by the Hudson's Bay Company and entrepreneur J.C. Burbank, who renamed it the Pioneer. It went into general service, according preferred rates to the HBC.

Steamboats on the Red River heralded the end of HBC dominance in the North-West: bulk cargoes could now be transported into and out of the region, and the region's agricultural and commercial potential was seen in a much more favourable light by Canada, which after 1867 moved quickly to acquire the area.