by Don Berry
The University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma, has preserved the language of the mountain men in two books. Life in the Far West, Frederick.Ruxton` ($3.75), is a novel—only semifictional, however—originally printed in Blackwood’.s Edinburgh Magazine in 1848. Edited in‘book form by LeRoy R. Hafen in 1951, it is one of the best—and certainly the most flavorful—records of mountain life. Here are all the eccentricities of dress, language, behavior and thought of the mountain men, and there is no other source half so good. Wah-To-Yah and the Taos Trail, Lewis Garrard ($2.00), is another contemporary narrative. but deals with the trade somewhat south of the area covered in this book. It, too, has a, good record of language and habits and includes several line stories which have become part of the mountain tradition. Oklahoma is regularly adding titles to its excellent American Exploration and Travel Series, the latest (at this Writing) being Adventures of Zenas Leonard, Fur Trader, John Ewers, ed. ($4.00). Leonard, too, must be used with some caution and frequent cross-checking. These books are all in print.
Washington Irving’s two narratives, Astoria and Captain Bonneville, are available in a number of editions, and should be considered primary source material in spite of the disrepute in which Irving has been held lately. His shadowed reputation seems to be solely a result of the dislike Hubert Howe Bancroft took to his work. For the years in which RMF operated officially under the name, Life in the Rocky Mountains, Warren Angus Ferris; Paul C. Phillips, ed. ($25.00), is one of the best sources. There are two available editions, of which the one published in Denver in 1940, under the above editor, is the better. Ferris was a Company man, with Vanderburgh’s brigade at the time of the latterfs death. The book was originally published as a series of the Western Literary Messenger, which eventually caused "the readers . . . to beseech the editor to give them no more of it." Mr. Ferris’ literary style is not the best in the world. (Most of these mountain records, including Beckwourth’s, are at their worst when a professional writer has gotten hold of them and given them the florid style of the day. In their raw, half-literate form they are much more acceptable and accurate.)
Wyeth’s correspondence and journals pertaining to his two expeditions are printed in Sources of the History of Oregon, · F. G. Young, ed. (Eugene, 1889; $l5—$20). These are extremely valuable, and I’ve found them among the most pleasurable of the contemporary, writings. ' For the history of the trade after the collapse of RMP, Bernard DeVoto’s epic study Across the Wide Missouri makes an excellent introduction (Boston, 1947; $10.00). For the flavor of the times, I think Meek’s River of the West, Russell’s Journal of a Trapper, the DeVoto, and the A. B. Guthrie, Jr. modern novel The Big Sky are excellent, and should give a good, broad picture. The Guthrie book, aside from being an excellent novel, is dependably accurate with respect to the trade. Many of the incidents recounted are taken directly from the literature of the trade, or only slightly modified. The story of Boone Caudill is about as close to being the story of a typical mountain man as is possible. Meek’s record provides the humor that was also an important aspect and which Guthrie, for sufficient reason, touches on only briefly. These four books, with the addition of Ruxton’s Life in the Far West, provide an excellent introduction to the daily life of the mountain men.
The West of Alfred Jacob Miller (Norman, 1951; $10.00) is the pictorial equivalent of all the writing, and further contains Miller’s own comments, which adds to its value. It contains reproductions of two hundred of Mi1ler’s paintings; by far the best pictorial record of the mountain trade we have. For those interested in deeper digging, there is an excellent bibliography, The Mountains and the Plains, Wagner and Camp ($25.00), which should be available in a. good library. The prices given in the above are as of January, 1960.
Those of books in print are list price. Those of books not in print are given as an approximate market value in the anti-quarian trade. The book trade being what it is, any of these volumes might be found at lower or higher prices than those listed. For these—and much bibliographic help in research—I am indebted to Preston McMann of the Old Oregon Bookstore in Portland.
I have worked very largely in the great mine of fur trade information, the Missouri Historical Society. Mrs. Frances Stadler of that organization was very helpful, providing me with the microhlms of manuscripts in their collections. Without these documents this book would have been quite impossible to write, and I am grateful for this help in proportion to its usefulness. With respect to manuscript material, it ought to be mentioned that reprinted versions are never entirely satisfactory; one is always slightly uncertain about them.
There is no substitute for going directly to the material itself. It is always better to work from the original documents, or from photographic reproductions. No matter how frequently material may be printed, collections like those in the Missouri Historical Society will be absolutely essential to a serious student.
A special note of thanks is due Tamara West, who helped enormously in the preparation of the book by taking most of the mechanical burden herself. Her cheerful, steady help in research and preparation of the manuscript was invaluable.
APPENDIX D:
Synopsis
Among writers of books fashions come and go. One device I’m sorry has gone out of style: the old, long chapter headings. (The ones that started out "Chapter Ten: In Which our Hero . . ." and went on to detail the action.) This seems quaint to us, but it was considerably more than a mere archaism. It was a way of making the mass of information in a book more easily accessible, by providing a bridge between the overgenerality of a Table of Contents and the overspecificity of an Index.
Since I would like the present book to be as useful as possible, I have a notion to revive the old custom, in a slightly altered form. Consequently, there is here printed a kind of Synopsis of the book, by Chapter and Section. This is taken more or less directly from my working journal and ought to make the material easier to get at. It will also serve as a running chronology of the years covered.
PART ONE
ASHLEY AND HIS MEN-1822-1826,
Chapter I
I—Ashley and Henry and St. Louis
II—First expedition prepared
III—The river
IV—Henry to Yellowstone
V—Second boat
Chapter 2
I—On beaver _
II—Spring '22 hunt; massacre of Henry’s party and Immel-] ones party
III—Ashley,to Aricara villages, Spring '23
IV—Cause and significance of Aricara campaign
Chapter 3
I—Military expedition to Aricara villages
II—The Aricara campaign
Chapter 4
I—Henry returns to Yellowstone and establishes new post at Bighorn
II—Travels of Hugh Glass
III—Same, last phase
IV—Party of Jedediah Smith to’Wind River
Chapter 5
I—Crows; Winter camp of '23-'24 at Wind River
II—Departure from Wind River
III—Spring ’24 hunt
IV—Return of Fitzpatrick and Clyman to Fort Atkinson; Summer ’24
Chapter 6
I—Alexander Ross and Snake Country Brigade; Hudson’s Bay Company
II—Fall '24 hunt; Smith and HBC Iroquois and trip to Flathead post with Ross
III—Peter Skene 0gden’s Snake Country Brigade, Spring '25
Chapter 7
I—Etienne Provost
II—Encounter of Johnson Gardner and Ogden p
III—Ash1ey to mountains, Spring ’25
Chapter 8
I—Rendezvous 1825, Henry’s Fork of Green River
II—Ashley & Smith partnership. Winter camp ’25-’26
III—Spring ’26 hnt. Ogden. Ashley retires Rendezvous 1826, Cache Valley
PART TWO
SMITH JACKSON 8: SUBLETTE—1826-1830
Chapter 9
I—Articles of Agreement and Ashley’s proposal to B. Pratte & Co
mpany
II—Bill Sublette and Black Harris winter overland to St. Louis
III—Final arrangements of Ashley and Pratte; departure of Outfit 1827 for rendezvous
Chapter 10
I—Smith‘s first expedition to California, Fall ’26
II—Smith at San Gabriel and San Diego
III—Smith’s return to Rendezvous 1827
Chapter 11
I—Rendezvous 1827, Bear Lake; Arrangement for Outfit 1828
II—Sublette’s brigade north to Blackfeet; HBC and American Companies; Beckwourth’s Blackfoot wives. Fall ’27 hunt
III—Tulloch and Ogden encounter, Fall ’27
Chapter 12
I—Smith’s retum to California, Fall ’27. Mojave massacre
II—Smith and Echeandia
III—Departure from California north
Chapter 13
I—Umpqua massacre. Smith to Fort Vancouver, Summer *28 '
II—McLoughlin and rescue party, Fall ’28 _
III—Smith-HBC relations, Winter ’28-’29
Chapter,14
I—Rendezvous 1828, Bear Lake. Mountain partners' activities
II—Fall ’28 hunt
III—Sublette’s supply caravan Spring ’29 and procedure of march
IV—Introduction to Meek
Chapter I5
I—Rendezvous 1829, on Popo Agie, also Pierre’s Hole. Smith returns to mountains. Fall ’29 hunt of Sublette and Smith
II—Spring ’30 hunt
II—Sublette’s Outtit 1830. Rendezvous 1830, Wind River. SJ&S retire
PART THREE
THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FUR COMPANY—1830-1834
Chapter 16
I—RMF formed
II—Mountain activities of RMF, ’30-’3l
III—Smith’s Santa Fe expedition. Smith’s death
IV—Spring ’32 hunt
Chapter 17
I—Fitzpatrick and the Gros Ventres ’
II—Rendezvous 1832
III—Batt1e of Pierre’s Hole
Chapter 18
I—RMF-Bill Sublette relations
II—Sublette to St. Louis with furs
III—Fall ’32 hunt; Milton Sublette and Wyeth
Chapter 19
I—Fall ’32 hunt; Fitzpatrick and Bridger; Death of Vanderburgh
II—Fall ’32 hunt; Fitzpatrick and Bridger, last phase
III—Winter camp ’32—’33; Spring *33 hunt
Chapter 20
I—American Fur Company in ’32 and their posts
II—Liquor problem
III—Wyeth to Fort Vancouver and return, Fall ’32—Spring ’33
Chapter 21
I—Sublette and Campbell
II—Rendezvous 1833, Green River
III—Departure on Fall ’33 hunt
IV—Wyeth, Milton Sublette agreement; to Fort Union
Chapter 22
I—McKenzie and distillery
II—Fitzpatrick robbed by Crows, Fall ’33
III—McKenzie and liquor troubles; American Fur troubles
Chapter 23
I—Sublette & Company vs. American Fur Company
II—Wyeth prepares for 1834 expedition
III—Race to Rendezvous 1834
IV—Rendezvous 1834; end of RMF
Notes
CHAPTER 1
1. Henry had been one of Manuel Lisa’s partners in the Missouri Fur Company. As a brigade leader he had taken the first party of white trappers into the rich Three Forks area as early as 1809. Driven out by savage Blackfoot attacks, Henry crossed the Centennial Range and wintered on what is now known as Henry’s Fork of the Snake, becoming the first American to trap on the Pacific slope of the Rockies. His party was also one of the first recorded in which the members went specifically as trappers, and not for trading purposes. In view of the historical emphasis that has been given Ashley’s "great innovation" of white trappers, this earlier experience of Henry’s seems pertinent. BACK
2. Astor had made gestures in this direction in 1809, only a year after the incorporation of his American Fur Company in the East. The St. Louis trading clique, always hostile to
"outsiders" in general—and Astor in particular—had forestalled his attempts to establish a connection with one of the St. Louis houses. Their opposition, plus the disastrous and expensive collapse of his Astoria enterprise, caused Astor to relinquish, temporarily, his plans for a western expansion of American Fur. Now, however, he was casting about again. BACK
3. I entertain some doubt as to the number of horses lost in this foray. Minimum valuation of a horse in the mountains was $60, yet the total claim laid later for horses and merchandise lost was under $2,000. It should have been $2,500-$3,000, and traders were not accustomed to underestimating their losses when making a claim to the Office of Indian Affairs. BACK
CHAPTER 2
1. DeVoto, in Across the Wide Missouri, says up to ten, but that would be high. The traps had to be spaced well apart, and it would be difficult to check that long a line. BACK
2. Since this book is not written principally for the professional historian, I rarely cite sources in the academic convention. From time to time it will be necessary; when making a
debatable point or expressing a view contrary to that generally held by students of the trade. In order to give the serious student an opportunity to check my reasoning on such points, I will append a list of relevant sources consulted in reaching my conclusions.
In this case, see: Extract of Calhoun to Clark, July 1, 1822; O’Fallon to Atkinson, July 3, 1822; Gaines to Calhoun, July 28, 1823; Gaines to Brown, July 26, 1823; Gaines to Atkinson, July 26, 1823; Atkinson to Brown, July 15, 1823, and Keemle’s Statement, all quoted in 18th Congress, lst Session, Senate Document 1, Serial 89. Hempstead to Pilcher, April 3, 1822, quoted in Jedediah Smith by Dale Morgan, pp. 28-29. See also the report of the Congressional Committee ou Indian Affairs in 18th Cong., Ist Sess., Sen. Doc. 56, Serial 91, in particular Questions 5 and 9; and Pilcher’s answers thereto. And: Chittenden, American Fur Trade of the Far West, vol. 1, p. 15 (011 factory system). Pilcher’s answers to Congressional questioning in 18th Cong., 1st Sess., Sen. Doc. 1, are all particularly illuminating in this matter, even though he was trying to put a different face on the matter entirely. BACK
CHAPTER 3
1. Both were given the nominal rank of captain. Lieutenants: Allen and Jackson. Ensigns: Cunningham and (Edward) Rose. Surgeon: Fleming. Tom Fitzpatrick was quartermaster and Bill Sublette sergeant major. BACK
CHAPTER 4
1. This was a Canadian-American firm, made up of former Nor‘westers from Montreal and some independent Americans. While all other traders operating on the river were St. Louis-based, Columbia came overland from the east. BACK
2. Fitzgerald, of course, was gone by this time. Ironically, Mr Glass had probably passed his canoe on the river somewhere before the Mandan villages. Fitzgerald was at the Mandans before Langevin’s party was attacked, which means he was on his way to Fort Atkinson while Glass was still coming up-river. BACK
3. This name, Burnt Woods, was later applied to the half-breed métis who worked the Red River trade. The group of Bois Brulés encountered by the Smith party was a band of Teton Sioux. BACK
4. This version accounts better for expended time and for the subsequent meeting of Smith with the Missouri Fur brigade under Keemle and Gordon. BACK
CHAPTER 5
1. For the final and standard version, see Ruxton, Life in the Far West (Norman, 1951), where it’s put in the mouth of Black Harris. BACK
CHAPTER 6
1. This estimate of size is based on a report received by Peter Skene Ogden from a band of Shoshones the next year. BACK
2. Dale, Ashley-Smith Explorations, and Morgan, The Great Salt Lake, both include more detailed information on what Morgan calls the 'semi-mythical geography of the early West." BACK
3. Kittson’s joumal of this expedition is a valuable counterpoint to Ogden, oft
en providing information—particularly on the Americans—omitted by the partisan himself. Both journals have been published in a single volume by the Hudson’s Bay Record Society, under the editorship of E. E. Rich. BACK
4. "John Grey" appears several times in the literature. The scattered references may all be to this man, whose name was Ignace Hatchiorauquasha, or it may have been something of
a generic term for an Iroquois whose name you didn’t feel like pronouncing. I am inclined to the former view. BACK
5. Though in another few years HBC’s customary 70 per cent would seem small indeed. By the early thirties the mountain men, being supplied from St. Louis by their own compatriots, were paying an estimated average of 2000 per cent above prime cost. On many staple items it rose higher than that. A gallon of raw alcohol, costing about 20 cents in St. Louis, was diluted with. plain water at about a 3:1 ratio. The four gallons of "whiskey" thus obtained went at Rendezvous for the traditional price of "a plew a pint." With a plew (Fr. plus = one prime beaver skin) averaging out around $5, this parlays the 20-cent gallon into a respectable $160. BACK
CHAPTER 7
1. This McKay should not be confused with John McLoughlin’s more famousstepson, Thomas McKay, who was not on”this expedition. He arrived in the Snake Country for the Hrst time with the 1825-26 expedition. BACK
