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1838
Wind
River
Rendezvous:
By the spring of
1838 Pierre Chouteau had gained control of Pratte, Chouteau and Company,
and changed it’s name to Pierre Chouteau, Jr. and Company.
The company would continue to be commonly known as the American Fur
Company. The supply caravan
would leave Westport
in the spring of 1838, including about 75 men, 150 horses or mules, and
two dozen or so carts or wagons. A
large contingent of missionaries again accompanied the caravan.
The missionaries included William H Gray, Elkaanah Walker, Cushing
Eells, Asa B Smith and their wives. This
would be the last trip Sir William Drummond Stewart would make to the
mountains before returning to his native
Scotland. Thomas Fitzpatrick
didn’t go to the mountains this year, and Andrew Drips would lead the
caravan. Of note, one of the
travelers with this years supply train was Johan Augustus Sutter, on his
way to California.
The
supply train left Westport some time in early April. Within a few
days the missionaries became so vociferous in their complaints and
quarrels that Drips asked them to travel by themselves. Being a
reasonable man, Drips soon relented, knowing full well that the
missionaries would not survive by themselves on the trail.
The caravan
arrived at
Fort
William on May 30th. The
fort is still generally referred to as Fort William, although references to
Fort
Laramie
are beginning to appear in travelers journals.
Lucien Fontenelle was in charge of the fort, and he would again
this year accompany the supply train to rendezvous.
The supply train remained at the fort for several days before
pushing on to rendezvous. Black
Harris was sent on ahead to find and inform trappers and Indians were the
location of the rendezvous was to be. At a rundown log structure at
the site of the Green River rendezvous, Harris left this note: "Come
to the Popoasie. Plenty of whiskey and white women."
He failed to note that the "white women" were all missionaries
and married.
The
train arrived at rendezvous on June 23rd.
Apparently the American Fur Company attempted to keep the location
of the rendezvous secret this year, to prevent the
Hudson’s Bay Company from competing in the trade.
As a result, many of the Mountain Men were confused as to the
location of the rendezvous. The
rendezvous site was on the
Wind River
at the confluence of the Popo Agie, a location which the Hudson’s Bay
Company would find much less convenient than the Green River
location. (Map)
Through the mountain grapevine, all of the interested parties
eventual learned the location of the rendezvous and were able to attend,
including the
Hudson’s Bay Company. Jim
Bridger and his brigade arrived on the 5th of June.
On the 8th a party of
Hudson’s Bay men arrived from Fort Hall under the leadership of Francis
Ermatinger. At the break up of
rendezvous, the missionary party would continue its journey westward in
the company of the Hudson’s Bay Company men.
According to Doc
Newell, the company men were being very hard nosed with regards to
business at this years rendezvous. Prices
paid for goods and supplies were extremely high in comparison to previous
years and the company was attempting to lower the price paid for beaver.
Credit was not being extended to anyone, and there are reports that
some trappers in desperation were stealing badly needed supplies from the
company. Newell’s account
portrays the rendezvous system of business in serious trouble, and Newell
speculates that there might not be another rendezvous in the following
year. Intelligence supplied to
the
Hudson’s Bay Company by Francis Ermatinger indicated that the American
Fur Company only brought in about 2,000 beaver pelts.
He also indicated that only 125 trappers showed up for this years
rendezvous. Many of the pelts
the American Fur Company failed to purchase probably ended up at Fort
Hall. John McLoughlin, Chief
Factor at
Hudson’s Bay Fort Vancouver thought that they would be able to destroy
the American Fur Company by forcing the American Fur Company to continue
paying competitive prices for beaver.
Cornelius Rogers writes in a letter from this years rendezvous “The
American Fur Company must soon abandon the mountains.
The trade is unprofitable, and the men are becoming dissatisfied:
besides, the Hudson’s Bay Company will break down all opposition.
Their resources are boundless, and they stop at no expense.”
The
Hudson’s Bay Company had a major advantage over its American rivals.
Profit was of course an important consideration, however, as a
quasi-governmental monopoly, a portion of the bottom line included empire
building, and in this instance, geo-political control of the
Oregon
country.
The rendezvous of
1838 ended with a dismal outlook for the American fur companies and
Mountain Men. The Mountain Men
were uncertain if there would be a rendezvous in 1839 at which they would
be able to obtain supplies to continue in the mountains.
Pierre Chouteau was faced with the decision of whether it would be
worth the effort and risk to take supplies to the mountain the following
spring.
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