Ovide de Montigny facts for kids

Ovide de Montigny was a French-Canadian fur trapper. He worked in the Pacific Northwest region. He was active there from 1811 to 1822.

Pacific Fur Company: A New Adventure

Ovide de Montigny was hired in July 1810. He joined the Pacific Fur Company (PFC). Alexander McKay and Wilson Price Hunt hired him in Montreal. They were looking for experienced fur traders.

The PFC was a new company. It was mostly funded by John Jacob Astor. The company had many different kinds of workers. Most were British subjects. Others were Scottish or American. French-Canadians often worked as voyageurs (boatmen) and trappers. Some Iroquois people also worked in these important jobs. Other workers included Americans, Anglo-Canadians, British, and Hawaiian Kanakas.

De Montigny traveled with other new employees and McKay. They went to New York City in August. From there, they sailed on a ship called the Tonquin. The ship left in September. It sailed around Cape Horn. Then it stopped in the Kingdom of Hawaii. There, 24 Hawaiian Kanakas joined the crew. The Tonquin reached the Columbia River in March 1811.

Fort Astoria: Building a Trading Post

In April 1811, de Montigny and other PFC workers started building Fort Astoria. This was a new trading post. They heard that other fur traders were already in the Pacific Northwest. These were from the North West Company.

On May 2, 1811, McKay led a small group up the Columbia River. De Montigny, Robert Stuart, and Gabriel Franchère were in this group. They wanted to find out about the other traders. A Clatsop noble named Coalpo guided them. He already knew Fort Astoria.

The group passed Tongue Point. They stayed the night at Coalpo's village. On May 4, de Montigny and McKay explored the Cowlitz River with Coalpo. They met many Cowlitz warriors in canoes. McKay talked with them and made friends. The Cowlitz leaders said they were having trouble with a nearby Chinookan village.

The group continued up the Columbia River. They met Kiesno, a leader of the Multnomah Chinookan people. Kiesno was related to Coalpo. They passed the Willamette River. The Clatsop people said this area had many animals.

On May 10, the group reached rapids with Wasco and Wishram villages. This included Celilo Falls. Coalpo would not go further. He told McKay that the Wishram and Wascoes might harm him. This was because of a past conflict. McKay saw that the rumored North West Company post was not there. So, he led the group back to Fort Astoria. They arrived on May 14.

In late June 1811, de Montigny and three men went to Youngs Bay. They were looking for tree bark. The bark was needed for the roofs and sides of the Fort Astoria buildings. De Montigny and the men returned a few days later. They had not found enough good bark.

The Tonquin Incident

The Tonquin ship was going to trade with Indigenous nations on Vancouver Island. McKay asked de Montigny to go with him. But de Montigny said no. He often got seasick.

The Tonquin later faced trouble and was destroyed. The only known survivor was Joseachal, a Quinault interpreter. He returned to Fort Astoria with help from Comcomly, a Lower Chinookan leader.

Fort Okanogan: Moving Inland

De Montigny was one of the PFC workers sent inland. Their job was to set up Fort Okanogan. He stayed there until the North West Company took over the Pacific Fur Company. De Montigny continued to work for the North West Company in that area. Later, the North West Company joined with the Hudson's Bay Company.