Coalpo facts for kids
Coalpo was an important leader of the Clatsop people. The Clatsop were a group of Chinookan people who lived near the Columbia River. Coalpo lived in the late 1700s and early 1800s. He married a daughter of Comcomly, who was a very powerful Chinookan leader in that area.
Fort Astoria: A New Trading Post
In March 1811, a ship called the Tonquin sailed into the Columbia River. This ship belonged to the Pacific Fur Company (PFC). The PFC then built a trading post called Fort Astoria. A German-American businessman named John Jacob Astor started the PFC. His plan was to set up many fur trading posts. These posts would stretch along the Columbia River and further east towards the Rocky Mountains.
Fort Astoria needed help from different Chinookan leaders to get supplies. Building good relationships with the Chinookan villages near the Columbia River was very important. Without their help, Fort Astoria could not succeed. Experts say that the company's success depended on fair trade with Indigenous groups. These groups controlled the trade in the area. Many villages near the fort were led by the powerful headman Comcomly.
Coalpo Helps Fur Traders
Coalpo was a key person who helped the new fur traders. He connected them with different Indigenous groups near the Columbia River. He also worked as a guide and an interpreter. In April 1811, Chinookan people told Fort Astoria about a trading post run by white men further inland. The PFC workers thought this might be their rivals, the North West Company. They were right; it was Spokane House.
On May 2, a group led by Alexander McKay set out to investigate. The group included Robert Stuart, Gabriel Franchère, Ovide de Montigny, and several voyageurs. They traveled up the Columbia River. The party passed Tongue Point and spent the night in Coalpo's village, called "Wahkaykum."
On May 4, de Montigny and McKay explored the Cowlitz River with Coalpo. While on the river, they met many Cowlitz warriors in canoes. McKay was able to talk with the armed group. He made friendly relations with them. Cowlitz leaders explained they were in a conflict with a nearby Chinookan Skilloot village.
The group continued up the Columbia River. They met Kiesno, an important Multnomah Chinookan noble. Kiesno had married another daughter of Comcomly. This made him a relative of Coalpo. After that, they passed the mouth of the Willamette River. The Clatsop people said this area had many animals for hunting and furs.
On May 10, the group reached the rapids. These rapids were controlled by different Wasco and Wishram villages, including Celilo Falls. Coalpo would not go past the lands of these people. He told McKay that the Wishram and Wascoes might kill him if he went further. This was because of a past conflict where he had been involved in a battle in that area. Alexander Henry the younger later called Coalpo a "strong enemy of the natives of the rapids." McKay was happy to see that the rumored trading post was not at this important fishing spot. He led the group back to Fort Astoria, arriving on May 14.
Near the end of June, Coalpo took David Stuart and eight other men from Astoria to Cape Disappointment. The men included four French-Canadians and four Hawaiian Kanakas. They sailed on the Columbia River in a large canoe owned by Coalpo. At Cape Disappointment, Stuart looked at the land and the animals that had fur.
