Robert Stuart (explorer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Robert Stuart
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| Born | February 19, 1785 Strathyre, Perthshire, Scotland
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| Died | October 28, 1848 (aged 63) Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
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| Occupation | Fur trader, explorer |
| Spouse(s) | Emma Elizabeth Sullivan |
Robert Stuart (born February 19, 1785 – died October 28, 1848) was an important fur trader and explorer. He was born in Scotland but lived in Canada and the United States. Stuart is famous for being part of the first group of European-Americans to cross South Pass. This happened during a long journey from Fort Astoria in Oregon to Saint Louis in 1811. He worked for the North West Company before joining John Jacob Astor's new Pacific Fur Company. Astor wanted to build a huge fur trading business across North America.
Contents
Early Life and Fur Trading Adventures
Robert Stuart was born in Strathyre, Scotland. He grew up in Callander, a town in Perthshire. Around 1807, he moved to Montreal, Canada. There, he joined his uncle, David Stuart. Robert worked as a clerk in the fur trade for the North West Company.
In 1810, Robert and his uncle joined the Pacific Fur Company. This company was started by a wealthy businessman named John Jacob Astor.
Voyage on the Tonquin
When he was 25, Robert Stuart sailed on the Pacific Fur Company's ship, the Tonquin. They sailed to the Falkland Islands. Stuart even held a pistol to the captain's head! This happened when the captain tried to leave without Stuart's uncle, David.
They sailed around Cape Horn at the tip of South America. Then they went up the West coast of North America. In May 1811, the Tonquin reached the Columbia River. They helped set up Fort Astoria in what is now Astoria, Oregon.
After dropping off supplies, the ship sailed north. It went to Clayoquot Sound on Vancouver Island. In June, the crew met with the Tla-o-qui-aht nation to trade. A fight broke out, and almost the entire crew was killed. The ship was also destroyed.
Journey to St. Louis
After the Tonquin was lost, the traders at Fort Astoria needed to tell Astor what happened. They didn't know when another ship would arrive. So, Robert Stuart led a group of seven men on an overland journey to St. Louis.
They traveled up the Columbia River, buying horses from Native American tribes. The group split up near what is now Wallula, Washington. Stuart's group rode south, near future Pendleton, Oregon.
They then headed east and southeast. On August 12, 1812, they entered what is now Idaho. They stayed on the west and south side of the Snake River. On September 5, they reached the American Falls. They arrived near the Idaho border on September 13. This part of their journey followed what would later become a major path of the Oregon Trail.
Crossing South Pass
After entering Wyoming, Stuart's group took a detour. They went about 100 miles north into the Teton Valley in Idaho. They crossed Teton Pass into Jackson Hole. Then they headed south. On October 19, they reached the area where the Oregon Trail would later be.
Two days later, they turned northeast and crossed South Pass. This pass is on the Continental Divide. Stuart wrote that the top of this mountain was flat. It looked like a plain more than three miles wide.
Stuart's group spent the winter on the upper North Platte River. They reached St. Louis at the end of April 1813. Stuart himself arrived in New York to meet with Astor on June 23.
End of the Pacific Fur Company
Even with the bad news about the Tonquin, Astor still had hopes for his company. But the War of 1812 caused the Pacific Fur Company to fail. Fort Astoria was sold to the North West Company in 1813.
Later, the Hudson's Bay Company used some of Stuart's explored paths. They created a route called the York Factory Express. This route connected Fort Astoria to the York Factory on Hudson Bay.
Stuart's Journal and the Oregon Trail
Stuart's journey helped map almost the entire Oregon Trail between the Columbia and the Missouri River. His journal gave a detailed account of their winter trip. The famous book Astoria by Washington Irving is said to be based on it.
Stuart's journal was given to Astor and President James Madison. It was also published in France. However, it did not make the location of South Pass widely known. In 1824, American trappers Jedediah Smith and Thomas Fitzpatrick rediscovered the South Pass route.
This led to some debate about who found the pass first. In 1856, Ramsay Crooks, who was with Stuart, wrote a letter about their journey. He explained that Stuart's group found the "celebrated 'South Pass'" in November 1812.
Later Life and Family
On July 21, 1813, Robert Stuart married Emma Elizabeth Sullivan. She was from New York City. They had nine children together.
Stuart continued to work for John Jacob Astor. He became the manager of the American Fur Company's "Northern Department." This was based on Mackinac Island, Michigan. Here, Stuart met William Montague Ferry. Stuart saw Ferry as a good person to help with his plans in the lumber business in Michigan.
In June 1834, Stuart gave money to Ferry. Ferry used it to settle in what would become Grand Haven. They started a land and lumber business together, sharing the profits.
In 1833, Stuart was mentioned in a treaty in Chicago. This treaty involved land from the Chippewa, Ottawa, and Potawatami tribes. Stuart was seen as a friend to these tribes.
Around 1835–1836, Stuart built a home in Detroit. He soon moved his family there. He also served as the Treasurer for the State of Michigan from 1840 to 1841. Robert Stuart died on October 28, 1848. He is buried at the historic Elmwood Cemetery in Detroit.
Legacy
The Robert Stuart House is one of 14 historic buildings at Fort Mackinac. This building is now a museum about the fur trading industry. It covers the time period of French, British, and Native American fur traders.
Robert Stuart Middle School in Twin Falls, Idaho, is named after this famous explorer.
