Who really won the conflict of the Hudson's Bay Company and the Northwest Company?
With Refrences please!

Hello red_1_canada,

Thanks for your question.

It seems from the literature I have found that they both had won in
the best possible way.  The two had a bitter rivalry for several years
in which the profits of both companies suffered.  The Northwest
Company was founded in 1779 by the Metris nation.  The Hudson Bay
Company has been around since 1670 and is still in business today. 
The main advantage of the Hudson Company was that it controlled about
1/3 of the land of present day Canada.

http://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives/hbca/about/the-bay.html

They had a virtual monopoly on land, which was not recognized by the
Northwest Company.  So, the Northwest Company used to land that was
exclusively granted to the HBC and they really had no way to stop
them.  You can see the fierce competition it brought about in this
quote:

"The next 25 years saw the Hudson's Bay Company move still further
inland in order to keep up with the Northwest Company. Expansion in
the west followed a distinct pattern: the Northwest Company would
build an inland trading post, and the Hudson's Bay Company would
follow building their fort adjacent to the Northwest Company's."

http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Atrium/4832/hudson3.html

By the early 1800's, they had both reached the Rockies but the
Northwest Company continued on, leaving the HBC behind.  The only real
advantage that the HBC had at this point was its control over the
Hudson Bay trading route. Around this time, the Napoleonic wars in
Europe started, further eroding the profits of both companies.

http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Atrium/4832/hudson3.html

Finally, in 1821, the companies merged under the name of the Hudson
Bay Company, because they realized that the only thing keeping their
profits in check was their competition with each other.  The
executives in both companies made out like bandits, and they
monopolized the fur industry for many years to come.  So, it seems
they both did equally well for themselves with winners on all sides. 
Here are some sites I came across with information relating to this
issue:

About the Hudson Bay Company
http://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives/hbca/about/the-bay.html

Boom Town Tales and Historic People
http://www.ghosttownsusa.com/bttales14.htm

Jasper National Park, History
http://www.canadianrockies.net/jasper/furtrade.html

The Fur Trade
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Atrium/4832/hudson3.html

The Hudson Bay Company
http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/2/18/h18-2964-e.html

Exploration, the Fur Trade and Hudson Bay Company
http://www.canadiana.org/hbc/hist/hist1_e.html

Hudson's Bay Company: Early Years
http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0858688.html

Search Term Used: Hudson's Bay Company Northwest Company
Search Method: www.google.com

Best Regards,

watershed-ga

Thanks alot...my girlfriend was getting me to help her and I really
didn't feel like, nor did I have the time to sift through the ten
books she brought me...thanks!!!