Antoine Godin facts for kids
Antoine Godin (born around 1805, died 1836) was a Canadian fur trapper and explorer. He was known for a major event that led to a battle between fur traders and Native American groups in a place called Pierre's Hole (now Teton Basin in Idaho). Godin was part Iroquois, and his story is an important part of the history of the fur trade in North America.
Godin and his father, Thyery, were Iroquois people hired by the British Northwest Fur Company. They were skilled trappers, hunters, and boatmen. In 1817, they might have been among the forty Iroquois recruits brought from Canada to the Rocky Mountains. Later, in 1821, the Northwest Fur Company joined with the Hudson's Bay Company.
Antoine Godin was likely born before 1810. He is mentioned in the 1825 journal of Peter Skene Ogden, an officer with the Hudson's Bay Company. Around this time, Godin's father, Thyery, left his British employer to work with American fur trappers. The Americans offered better prices for furs and lower costs for supplies. Many Iroquois and Canadian trappers joined the Americans. Antoine Godin, however, asked Ogden for permission to leave the Hudson's Bay Company. Ogden agreed, calling him "worthless," but Godin still gained his freedom.
Around 1828 or 1830, Godin's father was killed by Blackfoot Indians. This event made Antoine very angry and he held a strong dislike for all Blackfeet and their allies.
In 1832, Godin was traveling to a big gathering of trappers called a rendezvous at Pierre's Hole. On his journey, he found another trapper named Thomas Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick was in bad shape, with no shoes or equipment, and his clothes were torn. He had been attacked and robbed by Blackfeet a few weeks earlier. Many people thought Fitzpatrick was dead, but Godin brought him safely to the rendezvous.
By 1834, records from Fort Hall in Idaho show that Godin worked for Nathaniel Wyeth. The records noted that Godin was not always reliable and should only be given limited credit. Other entries show that Godin hunted meat for the fort from 1834 until mid-1836.
On May 22, 1836, Antoine Godin was invited to trade furs with a Metis man named James Bird. However, before any trading began, one of Bird's Blackfoot companions shot Godin without warning. Men from the fort were not able to save Godin, but they did get his personal belongings back. His blanket, rifle, and other items were listed as credits in his account at the fort the next day, May 23, 1836.
The Battle at Pierre's Hole
At the end of the 1832 rendezvous, Godin joined a group led by Milton Sublette. This group had over forty men, including Nathaniel Wyeth and his team. On the second morning after leaving the rendezvous, they saw a large group with pack animals coming towards them. At first, they thought it was a supply train from the American Fur Company.
A Surprising Encounter
As the group got closer, it became clear they were a party of 150 to 200 Gros Ventre Indians. This group included women and children, and they were moving their village. Because they were traveling with their families, they were not looking for a fight.
A Tragic Event
Signs were made for peace. A chief from the Gros Ventre group rode forward, and Antoine Godin and Baptiste Dorian (a Flathead man) also rode out to meet him. According to a book called The Adventures of Captain Bonneville, Godin saw this as a chance to get revenge for his father's death. Godin rode up to the chief, grabbed his rifle, and told Dorian to shoot the chief. Dorian did. Godin and Dorian then took the chief's bright red blanket and rode back to the trapper group. This event started the "Battle of Pierre's Hole," which led to many deaths and injuries on both sides.
