Across the Wide Missouri (book) facts for kids
Across the Wide Missouri, With an Account of the Discovery of the Miller Collection is a book written in 1947 by American historian Bernard DeVoto. It is the second part of a three-book series. The other books are The Year of Decision (1942) and The Course of Empire (1952).
Contents
Exploring the Fur Trade
This book tells the story of the fur trade in the American West. It focuses on the Rocky Mountains area, especially near the Missouri River, during the 1830s. This was a very busy time for fur trading.
Companies and Competition
The book mainly looks at the Rocky Mountain Fur Company (RMFC). This company had big rivals like John Jacob Astor's American Fur Company and the Hudson's Bay Company. The RMFC had a special way of doing business. Instead of using fixed trading posts, they held a big summer meeting called a "rendezvous" each year. This meeting was held in a different mountain valley every time. They brought their supplies to these meetings using overland wagon trains.
Life of the Mountain Men
Across the Wide Missouri describes the lives of the individual trappers, known as Mountain Men. These men were the main people who supplied furs to the RMFC and also bought supplies from them. The book shows their adventurous way of life. It also talks about the money side of the fur trade. Many free trappers often owed money to the fur companies. This was because the companies bought their furs but also sold them all their necessary supplies.
Native American Relations
The book also discusses how the Mountain Men interacted with different Native American tribes. It shares DeVoto's views on these relationships. These views show how people thought about different cultures at that time.
The Oregon Dispute
The book also touches on political issues, like the Oregon boundary dispute. Several nations had different ideas about who owned the land that is now Oregon. The book shows these competing claims.
Impact of the Fur Trade
DeVoto explains that the RMFC was a pioneer in using wagons to transport goods across the Great Plains. The Mountain Men gained a lot of knowledge about the western parts of America. This knowledge was very important for the large groups of people who traveled to California and Oregon in the 1840s. After the fur trade slowed down, many former trappers became guides and scouts. The trade declined because too many beavers were hunted and fashion trends changed.
See Also
