Astor Expedition
Encyclopedia
The Astor Expedition of 1810-1812 was the next overland expedition from St. Louis, Missouri
to the mouth of the Columbia River
after the Corps of Discovery, led by Lewis and Clark.
. It is sometimes referred to as the "Hunt Party" as Wilson Price Hunt was in charge of the group. It might be more accurately be called the Overland Expedition of the Pacific Fur Company
. Members of the party are commonly called "Overland Astorians."
Astor owned a one-half interest in the Pacific Fur Company (half of the shares being held by the American Fur Company
, which was solely owned by Astor). The other half-interest of the Pacific Fur Company was divided among working partners, each owning two-and-a-half to five shares (with some shares held in reserve). The working partners all ventured to the Columbia River
, either overland or by ship.
.
The party traveled west with relative ease through South Dakota
and Wyoming
, and accumulated 6,000 pounds of dried buffalo meat northwest of present-day Pinedale
. Traveling to "Fort Henry" (a winter camp built by Andrew Henry
on Henry's Fork of the Snake River
in 1810-11), the party left their horses and built canoes. Traveling down the Snake to present-day Milner, Idaho, they were forced to abandon this mode of travel when they encountered rapids, mainly Star Falls or Caldron Linn, where two men were lost to capsized canoes and a great deal of their food and other supplies were lost as well. The party managed to avoid disaster at the nearby Shoshone Falls
and Twin Falls
a short way farther along, where the Snake River cascades hundreds of feet.
The party divided, and three main groups formed, two of explorers, one of trappers.
Crooks and Day were the last stragglers of the original party to reach Fort Astoria in April after falling in with David Stewart, who had arrived by ship and ventured up the Columbia to establish a trading post on the Okanagan River, and was returning to Fort Astoria.
Wilson Price Hunt, a St. Louis businessman who had no outback experience, led the overland party to the Columbia River.
Hunt made a number of decisions which, in hindsight, were disastrous to the expedition. But those mistakes were to lead to the expedition's (and the company’s return expedition under Robert Stuart) most famous discoveries.
Hunt took the unusual step of starting his expedition just before the winter as he left St. Louis on October 21, 1810. The expedition traveled 450 miles up the Missouri River before setting up winter camp on Nodaway Island at the mouth of Nodaway River
in Andrew County, Missouri
just north of St. Joseph, Missouri.
Hunt's expedition broke the Nodaway winter camp on April 21, 1811.
On May 26, 1811, Hunt decided not to follow the Lewis and Clark route up the Missouri. To avoid an encounter with the Blackfeet (tribe), he chose to take his party overland instead.
After having problems obtaining horses, they were not able to leave the Arikara
in North Dakota
until mid-July. Several men detached from the main party to trap and hunt in Wyoming and eastern Idaho.
In September, 1811, upon reaching Henry’s Fork in present-day, Idaho, the party abandoned their horses thinking it would be easy to descend the Snake River
(called by Hunt "Canoe River") to the Columbia. After losing a man and two capsized canoes below present-day Milner Dam
, they discovered that the route was unnavigable. In fact, a number of large water falls and cliffs made navigation and porting impossible. The party divided into factions above present-day Twin Falls, Idaho
and set out on foot for Astoria, where the main party arrived on February 15, 1812. Only 45 of the original 60 members of the expedition made it to Fort Astoria
Hunt left Astoria via ship on August 4, 1812.
A party led by Robert Stuart (including John Day
who was left by Stuart on the lower Columbia River after being declared mad) was dispatched back to St. Louis, leaving Fort Astoria in June 1812, wintering on the Platte River, and arriving at St. Louis the following year. In the process, they discovered South Pass
through the Rocky Mountains in Wyoming.
Most Astorians survived the trip, but they utterly failed to blaze a dependable trail to Oregon and got there just barely ahead of the competing British expedition. However, the overland component (and its members' return trips) did result in discoveries in Wyoming
including the South Pass
through the Rocky Mountains
route via the Snake River
through which hundreds of thousands of settlers were to follow along the Oregon
, California
and Mormon
trails.
and established Fort Astoria
, the first permanent American settlement on the Pacific Ocean
at the mouth of the Columbia River
, present-day Astoria, Oregon
. The Tonquin was captained by a former Navy officer named Jonathan Thorn, who quickly established a reputation as a strict and abrasive martinet. He was killed and the Tonquin destroyed in a fight with a group of Native Americans on Vancouver Island, apparently in reprisal for his having thrown their chief overboard the previous day while negotiating prices for furs. This put the occupants of Fort Astoria in a tough position, having no access to seaborne transport.
were apprehensive that a ship from the other side should arrive and seize their property as a spoil of war. In October 1813, under duress during the War of 1812
, the partners of the Pacific Fur Company
sold the fort and all the concern’s property in the old Oregon Country to the Montreal-based North West Company
. Several weeks later, HMS Racoon
arrived bringing a partner of the North West Company and supplies for the Canadian concern.
Although the Astorians had sold out to the British when the war broke out, the treaty that ended hostilities stipulated that everything be returned to the status quo ante bellum
, which meant the Americans got their property back. They immediately returned it to the British, to whom they had sold it and for whom many of them were now employed, but the result was that when the first treaty of joint occupancy was made, both America and Britain had a presence in the Oregon territory. Had the Astorians sold their stake to the British just before the war broke out, it is entirely likely that the treaty would instead have stipulated that Oregon, being at that time occupied only by British subjects, would belong to Britain, with the result that Oregon would have eventually become part of Canada. In this sense, a case could be made that the ill-starred Astorian expedition saved Oregon for the U.S.
and Joseph Gervais
, would later become farmers on the French Prairie
and participate in the Champoeg Meetings
.
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
to the mouth of the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
after the Corps of Discovery, led by Lewis and Clark.
History
The Astor Expedition was named for its financier, John Jacob AstorJohn Jacob Astor
John Jacob Astor , born Johann Jakob Astor, was a German-American business magnate and investor who was the first prominent member of the Astor family and the first multi-millionaire in the United States...
. It is sometimes referred to as the "Hunt Party" as Wilson Price Hunt was in charge of the group. It might be more accurately be called the Overland Expedition of the Pacific Fur Company
Pacific Fur Company
The Pacific Fur Company was founded June 23, 1810, in New York City. Half of the stock of the company was held by the American Fur Company, owned exclusively by John Jacob Astor, and Astor provided all of the capital for the enterprise. The other half of the stock was ascribed to working partners...
. Members of the party are commonly called "Overland Astorians."
Astor owned a one-half interest in the Pacific Fur Company (half of the shares being held by the American Fur Company
American Fur Company
The American Fur Company was founded by John Jacob Astor in 1808. The company grew to monopolize the fur trade in the United States by 1830, and became one of the largest businesses in the country. The company was one the first great trusts in American business...
, which was solely owned by Astor). The other half-interest of the Pacific Fur Company was divided among working partners, each owning two-and-a-half to five shares (with some shares held in reserve). The working partners all ventured to the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
, either overland or by ship.
Overland expedition
Most of the men in the Overland Party were engaged as hunters, interpreters, guides and Canadian Voyagers. The party also included one woman, Marie Dorion, an Iowan Indian and wife of Pierre Dorion, and their two young sons. A baby would be born to the Dorians and die near present-day Union, OregonUnion, Oregon
Union is a city in Union County, Oregon, United States. The population was 1,926 at the 2000 census.- History :Union was platted on November 11, 1864 along the Oregon Trail. The name references the Union states, or Northern States, of the American Civil War....
.
The party traveled west with relative ease through South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
and Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, and accumulated 6,000 pounds of dried buffalo meat northwest of present-day Pinedale
Pinedale, Wyoming
Pinedale is a town in and the county seat of Sublette County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 1,412 at the 2000 census. Pinedale is an important hunting outfitting town and a gateway to the Wind River Mountains. It is also a major gateway to the Jackson Hole area in Wyoming. Pinedale is...
. Traveling to "Fort Henry" (a winter camp built by Andrew Henry
Andrew Henry (fur trader)
Major Andrew Henry was an American fur trader who, with William H. Ashley started the Rocky Mountain Fur Company in 1822...
on Henry's Fork of the Snake River
Snake River
The Snake is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean...
in 1810-11), the party left their horses and built canoes. Traveling down the Snake to present-day Milner, Idaho, they were forced to abandon this mode of travel when they encountered rapids, mainly Star Falls or Caldron Linn, where two men were lost to capsized canoes and a great deal of their food and other supplies were lost as well. The party managed to avoid disaster at the nearby Shoshone Falls
Shoshone Falls
Shoshone Falls is a waterfall on the Snake River located approximately five miles east of Twin Falls, Idaho. Sometimes called the "Niagara of the West," Shoshone Falls is 212 feet high—45 feet higher than Niagara Falls—and flows over a rim 1,000 feet wide.A park overlooking the waterfall is...
and Twin Falls
Twin Falls
- Waterfalls :* Twin Falls , a waterfall in Idaho, the namesake of the city Twin Falls, Idaho* Twin Falls , a waterfall in Glacier National Park * Twin Falls , a waterfall near Pickens, South Carolina...
a short way farther along, where the Snake River cascades hundreds of feet.
The party divided, and three main groups formed, two of explorers, one of trappers.
- The faction led by Donald MacKenzie traveled generally north and made its way via the lower Snake River and Columbia to reach Fort AstoriaFort AstoriaFort Astoria was the Pacific Fur Company's primary fur trading post in the Northwest, and was the first American-owned settlement on the Pacific coast. After a short two-year term of US ownership, the British owned and operated it for 33 years. It was the first British port on the Pacific coast...
in January 1812. - The factions led by Ramsey Crooks and Wilson Price Hunt traveled on opposite sides of the Snake River until they met each other again near the upper end of Hells CanyonHells CanyonHells Canyon is a wide canyon located along the border of eastern Oregon and western Idaho in the United States. It is North America's deepest river gorge at and part of the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area....
. The remnants reunited and were later guided west by Indians to reach the Columbia River near UmatillaUmatilla, OregonUmatilla is a city in Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. It is named for the Umatilla River, which enters the Columbia River on the side of the city. The river is named after the Umatilla Tribe. The city is located on the south side of the Columbia River, and is located on U.S...
, and then down the river to Fort AstoriaFort AstoriaFort Astoria was the Pacific Fur Company's primary fur trading post in the Northwest, and was the first American-owned settlement on the Pacific coast. After a short two-year term of US ownership, the British owned and operated it for 33 years. It was the first British port on the Pacific coast...
. - Several men had been detached from the main party back in Wyoming and at Henry's Fort in IdahoIdahoIdaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
to trap. Additionally, Ramsey Crooks and John DayJohn Day (trapper)John Day was an American hunter and fur trapper in the old Oregon Country--the area then jointly occupied by the United States and Great Britain, including present-day Oregon, Washington, Idaho, western Montana and southern British Columbia.Day was born in Culpeper County, Virginia and came west...
, with four Canadians, were left behind by the party near present-day Weiser, IdahoWeiser, IdahoWeiser is a city in the rural western part of the U.S. state of Idaho and the county seat of Washington County. With its mild climate, the city supports farm, orchard, and livestock endeavors in the vicinity. The city sits at the confluence of the Weiser River with the great Snake River, which...
as the party worked its way into the Columbia BasinColumbia BasinThe Columbia Basin, the drainage basin of the Columbia River, occupies a large area–about —of the Pacific Northwest region of North America. In common usage, the term often refers to a smaller area, generally the portion of the drainage basin that lies within eastern Washington.Usage of the term...
.
Crooks and Day were the last stragglers of the original party to reach Fort Astoria in April after falling in with David Stewart, who had arrived by ship and ventured up the Columbia to establish a trading post on the Okanagan River, and was returning to Fort Astoria.
Winter on Nodaway Island
Wilson Price Hunt, a St. Louis businessman who had no outback experience, led the overland party to the Columbia River.
Hunt made a number of decisions which, in hindsight, were disastrous to the expedition. But those mistakes were to lead to the expedition's (and the company’s return expedition under Robert Stuart) most famous discoveries.
Hunt took the unusual step of starting his expedition just before the winter as he left St. Louis on October 21, 1810. The expedition traveled 450 miles up the Missouri River before setting up winter camp on Nodaway Island at the mouth of Nodaway River
Nodaway River
The Nodaway River is a river in southwest Iowa and northwest Missouri.-Etymology:The river's name first appears in the journal of Lewis and Clark, who camped at the mouth of the river on July 8, 1804, but who provide no derivation of the name. There exist several proposed etymologies...
in Andrew County, Missouri
Andrew County, Missouri
-External links:* from University of Missouri Division of Special Collections, Archives, and Rare Books...
just north of St. Joseph, Missouri.
Hunt's expedition broke the Nodaway winter camp on April 21, 1811.
New route to the Northwest
After having problems obtaining horses, they were not able to leave the Arikara
Arikara
Arikara are a group of Native Americans in North Dakota...
in North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
until mid-July. Several men detached from the main party to trap and hunt in Wyoming and eastern Idaho.
In September, 1811, upon reaching Henry’s Fork in present-day, Idaho, the party abandoned their horses thinking it would be easy to descend the Snake River
Snake River
The Snake is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean...
(called by Hunt "Canoe River") to the Columbia. After losing a man and two capsized canoes below present-day Milner Dam
Milner Dam
Milner Dam is a rockfill dam near Burley in south central Idaho. It impounds the Snake River in a reservoir named Milner Lake. The dam spans the river across two islands, with three embankments....
, they discovered that the route was unnavigable. In fact, a number of large water falls and cliffs made navigation and porting impossible. The party divided into factions above present-day Twin Falls, Idaho
Twin Falls, Idaho
Twin Falls is the county seat and largest city of Twin Falls County, Idaho, United States. The population was 44,125 at the 2010 censusTwin Falls is the largest city of Idaho's Magic Valley region...
and set out on foot for Astoria, where the main party arrived on February 15, 1812. Only 45 of the original 60 members of the expedition made it to Fort Astoria
Hunt left Astoria via ship on August 4, 1812.
A party led by Robert Stuart (including John Day
John Day (trapper)
John Day was an American hunter and fur trapper in the old Oregon Country--the area then jointly occupied by the United States and Great Britain, including present-day Oregon, Washington, Idaho, western Montana and southern British Columbia.Day was born in Culpeper County, Virginia and came west...
who was left by Stuart on the lower Columbia River after being declared mad) was dispatched back to St. Louis, leaving Fort Astoria in June 1812, wintering on the Platte River, and arriving at St. Louis the following year. In the process, they discovered South Pass
South Pass
South Pass is two mountain passes on the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Wyoming. The passes are located in a broad low region, 35 miles broad, between the Wind River Range to the north and the Oregon Buttes and Great Divide Basin to the south, in southwestern Fremont...
through the Rocky Mountains in Wyoming.
Most Astorians survived the trip, but they utterly failed to blaze a dependable trail to Oregon and got there just barely ahead of the competing British expedition. However, the overland component (and its members' return trips) did result in discoveries in Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
including the South Pass
South Pass
South Pass is two mountain passes on the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Wyoming. The passes are located in a broad low region, 35 miles broad, between the Wind River Range to the north and the Oregon Buttes and Great Divide Basin to the south, in southwestern Fremont...
through the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
route via the Snake River
Snake River
The Snake is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean...
through which hundreds of thousands of settlers were to follow along the Oregon
Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail is a historic east-west wagon route that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon and locations in between.After 1840 steam-powered riverboats and steamboats traversing up and down the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri rivers sped settlement and development in the flat...
, California
California Trail
The California Trail was an emigrant trail of about across the western half of the North American continent from Missouri River towns to what is now the state of California...
and Mormon
Mormon Trail
The Mormon Trail or Mormon Pioneer Trail is the 1,300 mile route that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints traveled from 1846 to 1868...
trails.
Ocean-based expedition
The ocean-based component of the expedition arrived via the TonquinTonquin
The Tonquin was an American merchant ship involved with the Maritime Fur Trade of the early 19th Century. The ship was used by John Jacob Astor's Pacific Fur Company to establish fur trading outposts on the Northwest Coast of North America, including Fort Astoria at the mouth of the Columbia River...
and established Fort Astoria
Fort Astoria
Fort Astoria was the Pacific Fur Company's primary fur trading post in the Northwest, and was the first American-owned settlement on the Pacific coast. After a short two-year term of US ownership, the British owned and operated it for 33 years. It was the first British port on the Pacific coast...
, the first permanent American settlement on the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
at the mouth of the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
, present-day Astoria, Oregon
Astoria, Oregon
Astoria is the county seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Situated near the mouth of the Columbia River, the city was named after the American investor John Jacob Astor. His American Fur Company founded Fort Astoria at the site in 1811...
. The Tonquin was captained by a former Navy officer named Jonathan Thorn, who quickly established a reputation as a strict and abrasive martinet. He was killed and the Tonquin destroyed in a fight with a group of Native Americans on Vancouver Island, apparently in reprisal for his having thrown their chief overboard the previous day while negotiating prices for furs. This put the occupants of Fort Astoria in a tough position, having no access to seaborne transport.
The War of 1812 and the end of the enterprise
Although Astor's plan for gaining control of the fur trade in the Pacific Northwest established the first United States settlement on the Pacific coast, the accomplishment was short lived. Both the Americans and the British subjects in the jointly occupied Oregon CountryOregon Country
The Oregon Country was a predominantly American term referring to a disputed ownership region of the Pacific Northwest of North America. The region was occupied by British and French Canadian fur traders from before 1810, and American settlers from the mid-1830s, with its coastal areas north from...
were apprehensive that a ship from the other side should arrive and seize their property as a spoil of war. In October 1813, under duress during the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, the partners of the Pacific Fur Company
Pacific Fur Company
The Pacific Fur Company was founded June 23, 1810, in New York City. Half of the stock of the company was held by the American Fur Company, owned exclusively by John Jacob Astor, and Astor provided all of the capital for the enterprise. The other half of the stock was ascribed to working partners...
sold the fort and all the concern’s property in the old Oregon Country to the Montreal-based North West Company
North West Company
The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what was to become Western Canada...
. Several weeks later, HMS Racoon
HMS Racoon (1808)
HMS Racoon, sometimes spelled HMS Raccoon, was an 18-gun ship sloop of the Cormorant Class of the Royal Navy. She was built by John Preston, of Great Yarmouth, and launched on 30 March 1808.-Service:...
arrived bringing a partner of the North West Company and supplies for the Canadian concern.
Although the Astorians had sold out to the British when the war broke out, the treaty that ended hostilities stipulated that everything be returned to the status quo ante bellum
Status quo ante bellum
The term status quo ante bellum is Latin, meaning literally "the state in which things were before the war".The term was originally used in treaties to refer to the withdrawal of enemy troops and the restoration of prewar leadership. When used as such, it means that no side gains or loses...
, which meant the Americans got their property back. They immediately returned it to the British, to whom they had sold it and for whom many of them were now employed, but the result was that when the first treaty of joint occupancy was made, both America and Britain had a presence in the Oregon territory. Had the Astorians sold their stake to the British just before the war broke out, it is entirely likely that the treaty would instead have stipulated that Oregon, being at that time occupied only by British subjects, would belong to Britain, with the result that Oregon would have eventually become part of Canada. In this sense, a case could be made that the ill-starred Astorian expedition saved Oregon for the U.S.
Settlement by Astorians in Oregon
Two surviving members of the Astorians, Étienne LucierÉtienne Lucier
Étienne Lucier was a fur trader in what is now the Pacific Northwest. At the time it was called the Oregon Country and claimed by the United States and called the Columbia District as claimed by Great Britain. He was one of two French Canadians to vote for the creation of a government for that...
and Joseph Gervais
Joseph Gervais
Joseph Gervais was a pioneer settler and trapper in the Columbia District of the Hudson's Bay Company . He is the namesake for the town of Gervais, Oregon....
, would later become farmers on the French Prairie
French Prairie
French Prairie is a prairie located in Marion County, Oregon, United States, in the Willamette Valley between the Willamette River and the Pudding River, north of Salem...
and participate in the Champoeg Meetings
Champoeg Meetings
The Champoeg Meetings in Oregon Country were the first attempts at governing in the Pacific Northwest by United States European-American pioneers. Prior to this, the closest entity to a government was the Hudson's Bay Company, mainly through Dr...
.
Further reading
- Many accounts of the Pacific Fur Company’s Overland Expedition have been written. Two British naturalists, John BradburyJohn Bradbury (naturalist)John Bradbury was a Scottish botanist noted for his travels in the United States Midwest and West in the early 19th Century and his eyewitness account of the New Madrid earthquake....
and Thomas NuttallThomas NuttallThomas Nuttall was an English botanist and zoologist, who lived and worked in America from 1808 until 1841....
, accompanied the expedition as far as the ArikaraArikaraArikara are a group of Native Americans in North Dakota...
and Mandan Villages in present-day South Dakota and North Dakota. Nuttall published an account of his observations in the book The Genera of North American Plants in 1818 as well as Manual of the Ornithology of the United States and of Canada in 1832. Bradbury published an excellent account of this leg of the journey up the Missouri in his book Travels in the Interior of America in the Years 1809, 1810, and 1811.
- Naturalist Henry Marie Brackenridge accompanied the Missouri Fur Company party, under Manuel Lisa, up the Missouri River at the same time. Brackenridge also wrote an account, Journal of a Voyage up the Missouri River in 1811, which was published in 1814.
- Wilson Price Hunt’s journal from the Missouri River to Fort Astoria was published in French in 1820, but not translated and published in English until 1935. Washington IrvingWashington IrvingWashington Irving was an American author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th century. He was best known for his short stories "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle", both of which appear in his book The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. His historical works...
’s Astoria, was published in 1836 (and for a synopsis of the accuracy of Irving’s work, see the Edgeley W. Todd edition). And although they arrived at Fort Astoria by sea and so did not accompany the overland party, clerks Gabriel FranchereGabriel FranchèreGabriel Franchère was a French Canadian author and explorer of the Pacific Northwest.Franchère was a native of Montreal and joined the Astor Expedition as merchant's apprentice, arriving at Fort Astoria on the Tonquin. After Astoria was sold to the North West Company, Franchère returned to...
, Alexander RossAlexander Ross (fur trader)-Fur trader and explorer:Ross emigrated to Upper Canada, present day , from Scotland about 1805.In 1811, while working for John Jacob Astor's Pacific Fur Company, Ross took part in the founding of Fort Astoria, a fur-trading post at the mouth of the Columbia River...
and Ross CoxRoss CoxRoss Cox was a clerk in the North West Company and author.Ross Cox was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1793, the son of Samuel Cox and Margaret Thorpe. He emigrated to America in 1811, becoming a clerk in the American Fur Company. He arrived in Fort Astoria, Pacific Fur Company's primary fur trading...
each published additional memoirs of the Pacific Fur Company, including accounts of the overland expedition.