The American Fur Trade of the Far West, Volume 1

by Hiram Martin Chittenden, James P. Ronda, Stallo Vinton (Introduction)

Epic in sweep and reach, strongly written and superbly researched, The American Fur Trade of the Far West is a classic if there ever was one. Its publication in 1902 made clear how much the fur trade was "indissolubly connected to the history of North America." Chittenden brought to this enduring work an appreciation of geography and a feeling for the lives and times of colorful trappers and mountain men like Manuel Lisa, William H. Ashley, the Sublette brothers, Jedediah Smith, Jim Bridger, and Kenneth McKenzie. He provided a comprehensive view of the fur trade that still remains sound. Volume 1 of the Bison edition includes the organization and financing of the fur trade and a detailed history of the major American companies operating in the trans-Mississippi West to the year 1843.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Reference, American History, Westerns

570 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1986

Reviews

[Greg Strandberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm going to go ahead and mark this book as done, even though I didn't read it all. Now, let me talk about that.

This is really a 2-volume work. For some reason, the second volume isn't listed on Goodreads...that I can see. So the whole two-book set is 975 pages or so.

For Volume 1 you get a great look at the start of Louisiana, the European era of control, and then into the Missouri River Fur Company of Manuel Lisa. After that there's a ton of stuff on Astoria before we go into the Rocky Mountain Fur Company days of William Henry Ashley in the 1820s.

For Volume 2 you get the War of 1812, some stuff on the Aricara War of 1823, and then some stuff on the 1830s. There's a huge section on various mountain man adventures and then a discussion of geography of the Rocky Mountain West.

Volume 2 is the better one, I think. Crittenden's experience as a superintendent of Yellowstone during the 1890s or 1900s really shows in his descriptions of the land, animals, and plants. This is considered a definitive work and the editor's notes add a lot more.

Very good for fur trading fans, students, or historians.

[Sarah Seele · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this would be such an interesting book. And it just wasn’t, at least not until page 330-something, at which point I finally started enjoying it (for what reason I do not know, Sam-I-am).

It’s dry. It really is dry. But it’s a great reference to have, and I’m glad I stuck with it.

[Samuel Kordik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally finished this tome. Published in 1902, "The American Fur Trade of the Far West" is exhaustive, thoroughly-researched, and about as definitive a history as one could find. Before you dismiss it as being too nerdy or niche, understand that this book really describes the foundation of the US and how a small coastal nation became a continental superpower. If you're a history buff, you'd love this book.

[Ebook Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, the e-book version can be found at:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-...

[Howard Raymond]

Very comprehensive history of the Trade.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably the most important book to read if you are interested in the fur trade in what is now the western United States as it existed from about 1810 to 1850. The author was a military engineer (oversaw the building of the Chittenden Locks in Seattle) and the first Superintendent of Yellowstone National Park, and prepared this lengthy, entertaining, and highly detailed history of the fur trade at a time when many people were still around who remembered the events concerned here. Naturally there are some cultural biases in a history book written over 120 years ago but overall the books remain highly accurate and more engrossing than most of what has been written about this period in this part of the world.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, all 3 volumes, is the basic must-read book if you're interested in the fur trade. Yes, there are lots of great books on the subject, but nearly all of them borrow from Chittenden and besides, Chittenden was the real article (his day job was being the military commander of Yellowstone National Park). When he wrote this the West was still very wild and the fur trappers, though about gone, were still vibrant in the memories of many living persons. And Chittenden was so thorough! All the best stories are in here, all the major players, all the pivotal events. You can open it at random and find amazing stuff.

[Vince Pillig]

Great book if your student of trapping .

. Christian book about the early 1800s and free trappers of the trapping companies . Seems very realistic and accurate looking forward to volume 2 .