In 1851, the ancestors of the Kwakiutl entered into treaties with James Douglas, then acting as agent for the Hudson's Bay Company, so that the company could gain access to coal deposits on the northeast coast of Vancouver Island.
Around 1851, the predecessors of the Kwakiutl formed alliances with James Douglas, serving as a representative for the Hudson's Bay Company, in order to grant the company permission to mine coal along the northeastern coast of Vancouver Island.