Description

2012 Rocky Mountain Fur Trade Journal, Volume 6

Zackary Perch Claims the Northwest
by John C. Jackson
An intriguing investigation of enigmatic letters written by a shadowy American in 1807. What began for former army captain John McClallen as a commercial trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico, ended as a territorial challenge on the waters of the Columbia river. McClallen’s lone voice from the west side of the Continental Divide spoke on behalf of the young United States, defending it against British encroachment on the Pacific Coast.

Who was Roy?
by John Eldredge
Graffiti invariably makes one wonder who wrote it and why. John Eldredge was sufficiently curious to research an inscription he found on a rock in a remote southwestern Wyoming location. This article shows John Eldredge’s process of probing into the fur trade history to find out about the person named in the 1814 granite epitaph. Sleuthing into early records, Eldredge ferrets out a plausible identity for Roy, as well as evidence of one of the earliest American trading ventures west of South Pass.

The Mexican Connection
by Dr. James A. Hanson
The fur trade was pursued throughout the entire region of The Rocky Mountains, not confined to the frequently-examined Intermountain West and its rendezvous sites. Dr. James A. Hanson reminds the readers of the significance of the southern Rockies within this article. He presents the history of trade relations in Spanish/Mexican territories and demonstrates how that business intersected with beaver trapping throughout the continent.

Jedediah Smith’s Journeys of “Secondary Consideration”: New York to St. Louis
by James C. Auld
This article brings to light obscure and formerly unknown details about Smith’s early life. Jedediah Smith’s career has been frequently dissected but little attention has been paid to his upbringing and the circumstances that pushed him towards the western frontier.

India Rubber in the Rocky Mountain Fur Trade
by Clay J. Landry
This article examines the early development and use of this novel and worthy substance as it became a fixture of American life, aided in part by the fur trade. It looks at how India rubber products changed the way trappers in the Rockies protected themselves from the wet, cold conditions that defined their trade.

Eavesdropping on Fur Trade Mail
by Jim Hardee
With the opportunity to examine the Sublette County Fur Trade Papers, Jim Hardee was able to read many interesting letters between fur trade personalities. The article focuses on his investigation of one such piece of correspondence. A letter pertaining to Nathaniel J. Wyeth and his well known misfortune at the 1834 rendezvous on Ham’s Fork provides an alternate perspective on Wyeth’s enterprise.

Sublette County Historical Society, 2012