(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
Lake Chelan Historical Society: Trappers and fur traders (photo diary) [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags']
Date: 2022-07-18
The fur trade along the Columbia River was dominated by three major companies. The Canadian North West Company (Nor’westers), based in Montreal, moved into Washington from the headwaters of the Columbia River in 1807. In 1811, the Nor’westers, under the leadership of David Thompson, journeyed down the river, making contact with many of the Indian nations in the region.
In 1811, the American Pacific Fur Company, founded by John Jacob Astor, establishes a trading post, Fort Astoria, at the mouth of the Columbia River. The Astorians quickly moved up the Columbia River and established Fort Okanogan to provide competition with the North West Company in the Upper Columbia River area. The following year, the Astorians established Fort Spokane next door to the Nor’westers’ Spokane House. In 1813, under threat of a military takeover by the British, the Astorians sell their trading posts to the Nor’westers.
The third fur trade company, and the oldest in North America, was the English Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC). The rivalry between HBC and the Nor’westers had reached the point of warfare and so the Crown ordered the merger of the two companies in 1821. With this merger, HBC acquired Fort George (Astoria), Fort Okanogan, and Spokane House. With regard to the impact of the merger on trade, Theodore Binnema, in an article in Western Historical Quarterly, writes:
“With competition reduced, the HBC closed posts, reduced the range of trade goods offered to Indians, and drove a harder bargain.”
In 1816, Donald McKenzie was appointed the leader of the North West Company’s new Columbia Department. While the company had traditionally gone into Indian country and opened posts for Indian trade, McKenzie decided to change this approach. Geographer John Allen, in his chapter on the Canadian fur trade in North American Exploration. Volume 3: A Continent Comprehended, reports:
“McKenzie, however, concluded that the fur trade could be made more profitable by eliminating the middlemen, that is, the Indians. Instead of building posts for trading purposes, the North West Company decided to trap rather than trade.”
As a result, large numbers of non-Indian trappers—French-Canadian, American, English, Hawaiian—begin to invade Indian country. Also included in the trapping brigades are a number of Iroquois Indians.
In 1825, HBC established Fort Vancouver, 100 miles above the mouth of the Columbia River in what is now Washington. The new location was intended to let them control the in the Columbia Basin. HBC brought in Métis and Iroquois from Canada as well as Kanakas from Hawaii to trap for furs.
The displays in the Lake Chelan Historical Society Museum in Chelan, Washington, show artifacts from the fur trade and trapping era. According to the Museum displays, this era began with the establishment of Fort Okanogan in 1811 and continued until 1870.
Shown above is a beaver pelt and a trade blanket.
Shown above are some trade items.
Shown above are: (1) a loading block, (2) bullet starter, (3) powder measure, and (4) powder flask.
More museum exhibit photo tours
Museums 101: A Trapper's Cabin (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Manifest Destiny in the High Desert (Photo Diary)
Lake Chelan Historical Society: Homestead Cabin (photo diary)
Museums 101: The Big House at Fort Vancouver (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Washington Frontier Towns (Photo Diary)
Fort Missoula: Homestead cabin (photo diary)
Museums 101: The Nevada City Homestead Cabins (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: A homestead kitchen (photo diary)
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/7/18/2110883/-Lake-Chelan-Historical-Society-Trappers-and-fur-traders-photo-diary
Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/
