Benjamin Frobisher (1742 – April 14, 1787) was born in England, the son of Joseph Frobisher and Rachel Hargrave and immigrated to Canada about 1763. Two brothers also immigrated to Canada and all three were involved with the

fur trade The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the mos ...

and its expansion into the northwest. In 1770, the three brothers, partnered with

Richard Dobie Richard Dobie (1731 – March 23, 1805) was a Scottish merchant who came to Canada in 1760 and became actively involved in the fur trade around Lake Superior Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the worl ...

, had a successful fur trading expedition which went up the

Saskatchewan River The Saskatchewan River (Cree: ''kisiskāciwani-sīpiy'', "swift flowing river") is a major river in Canada. It stretches about from where it is formed by the joining together of the North Saskatchewan and South Saskatchewan Rivers to Lake Winn ...

well past

Fort Bourbon Fort Bourbon was one of the forts built by La Vérendrye during his expansion of trade and exploration west from Lake Superior. Besides providing support for the important fur trade in what is now Manitoba, La Vérendrye wanted to conduct explora ...

situated near the mouth of that river. More successful expeditions followed and in 1779 the Frobishers set up a company that owned two of the sixteen shares in the

North West Company The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what is present-day Western Canada and Northwestern Ontario. With great weal ...

established that year. They were among the shareholders who got their fur trade goods from the London merchant

John Strettell John Strettell (1721–1786) of London, England, was one of the most important merchants providing trade goods to the Canadian fur trade in the period between the Conquest of Canada and his death in 1786. Born in 1721, he was the second son of Robe ...

. At the time of Benjamin's death, the northwest was beginning to be the most important region in the fur trade and a time when the North West Company was on the point of having almost total control of the area's trade. He was one of the seventeen original founding members of the

Beaver Club The Beaver Club was a gentleman's dining club founded in 1785 by the predominantly English-speaking men who had gained control of the fur trade of Montreal. According to the club's rules, the object of their meeting was "to bring together, at sta ...

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* English explorers of North America Frobisher, Benjamin Frobisher, Benjamin Frobisher, Benjamin North West Company people Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada) Anglophone Quebec people English emigrants to pre-Confederation Quebec {{Canada-hist-stub