Explorations and Fur Trade in The West
Competitors and Goals What European Countries Where Goals: the 3 C’s
Russians in Alaska Vitas Bering: 1728, 1741: Russian trade Bering Strait, Aleutian Islands, SE Alaska Fur trade begins Russian trade Aleuts forced into trade revolt “reductions” by Russians population drop from 25,000 to 6,000
Russians in Alaska Kodiak Island 1780s-90s Yakutat 1796 Sitka set up in 1799 Tlingets attack Sitka destroyed in 1802 Russians return in 1804 Sitka is Russian capital Fort Ross in California
Impact of Russians Populations down in some areas Russian Orthodox missions Mixed Race descendents overfurring cultural changes Could “sell” Alaska to US 1867
Spanish Response Juan Perez 1774 to Nootka Sound Others Missions in California
British Sir Francis Drake in California back in 1500s Captain James Cook in NW 1776-80 seeking NW Passage Lands at Nootka Sound exposes Natives to disease finds furs journals, reports increase trade
British Charles Barkley: Strait of Juan de Fuca 1787 Cook’s death website:
Americans a.k.a. “Bostons” Robert Gray: Columbia River 1792 More fur traders
Spanish drop NW claims Nootka Sound Incident Spanish settlements -- short lived 1795: Spain drops claims
More Activity in NW George Vancouver 1791-95 goals names and explorations http://www.historylink.org/output.CFM?file_ID=254 Vancouver names reports more activity on coast By 1800 200 scientific and commercial voyages on NW coast
Lewis and Clark Louisiana Territory: Goals of “Corps of Discovery” Spanish to French to American US pays $15 million Goals of “Corps of Discovery” Scientific Diplomatic Commercial NW Passage
Party Meriwether Lewis William Clark Soldiers York Georges Drouillard 43 leave St Louis, May 1804
Supplies Today’s 10 essentials website: http://www.backpacking.net/ten-essl.html Lewis and Clark’s supplies: website
Fort Mandan Spend Winter among Mandans and Hidatsas Hire Touissant Charbonneau and Sacagawea Significance of Sacagawea
From Ft Mandan to Ft Clatsop Follow Missouri to Great Falls Meet up with Shoshone in Idaho Cross mountains to Nez Perce: Clearwater to Snake to Columbia Build boats and shoot rapids to Pacific Ocean Winter at Ft Clatsop Journal entries
Significance of Expedition no NW Passage scientific, commercial possibilities imagination of country: journals a cross cultural as well as wilderness tale peaceful, yet first step in US expansion gov’t role
What happened to them later? Lewis Clark Sacagawea and Pompey York Jim Colter George Drouillard
Fur Trade “Soft Gold”: types When and Where
Major Companies HBC 1670 Northwest Co starts 1784 Alexander Mackenzie in BC 1790s Simon Fraser in 1805-6 establish forts in NW
Major Companies HBC takes over NW 1821 HQ: Fort Vancouver: “NY of the Pacific” John McLoughlin 1824-46 create “fur desert” to East Puget Sound Agricultural Company
Major Companies American Fur Co 1808, Pacific Fur Co John Jacob Astor Fort Astoria: difficulties in set up Sold to British Example: James Bordeaux Trading Post 1837 to 1876 Missouri Fur Company 1808 started by Manuel Lisa Rocky Mountains
Major Companies William Ashley’s innovations: Later is Rocky Mt Fur Company
Lives of Trappers Who are they Often married to Native Am women 3 types of trappers Brigades: company employees Skin trappers: sharecroppers Free: independent The Rendezvous Dangers of the job
Lives of Trappers Joe Meek as an example Continuation past heyday
Significance of Fur Trade Environmental animals introduction of new crops for Native Americans National claims Serve as transition before settlement