1754 — Anthony Henday follows Saskatchewan River inland, becoming the first white man to see the Rockies.

1756 — Seven Years' War begins between England and France.

1763 —Treaty of Paris ends the Seven Years' War. The French government withdraws from Quebec.

1774 — Samuel Hearne builds the first inland Hudson's Bay Company post at Cumberland House.

1782 — Fort Prince of Wales is captured and destroyed by France's Admiral La Pelouse. Hearne is taken prisoner. York Factory surrenders to the French.

1793 — Alexander MacKenzie begins his expedition through the Rockies to the Pacific.

1804 — U.S. President Thomas Jefferson dispatches Lewis and Clark expedition to Pacific Coast.

1812 — U.S. declares war on Britain and closes border.

1814 — Treaty of Ghent defines border between U.S. and British North America.

1821 — British Parliament grants the HBC 21-year monopoly over fur trade in British North America west of Upper Canada. HBC controls 3 million square miles of land. George Simpson appointed HBC governor; he serves until 1856.