American Fur Company in Minnesota

[Minnesota Mike]

Looking for detailed information about the American Fur Company in Minnesota in 1830. Specifically trying to track down detailed information about the Sandy Lake trading post.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

r/
MM

[AxelP]

Mike have you ever met Brent Gurtek? He is a full-time gun builder near Duluth. Anyways, he might be of service regarding the information you are searching for--- not sure...

Brent is a first-rate gentleman, and builds great looking, and uniquely correct, rifles and smoothbores.

Axe

[Two Steps]

MM, we have several guys here from that part of the country..hang on, I'm sure somebody will be by in time  
Al

[RichW]

I don't know about that particular post, but can get you started...

This is the link to the American memory Collections at Library of Congress, including the Collections of the Minnesota Historical Society and the Collections of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin.  There are also a number of other books at this site.

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/umhtml/lhbu ... les01.html

William Keating's account of the Long Expedition should be interesting to you.  Also Schoolcraft.

For the other perspective on the fur trade you can't beat John Tanner:

http://books.google.com/books?id=mQ8AAA ... PA4-IA1,M1

For William Aitkin at Sandy Lake, see

http://books.google.com/books?id=ZCdkrd ... +Aitkin%22

There's a pretty neat article on the artifacts found a the lake:

http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/cdm ... 9378&REC=4

[Sir Michael]

If you do a google search for  "american fur company" as an exact phrase and then search within results for "sandy lake" in quotes you will get over 90 hits to explore.

[Riley/MN]

Well, there ya go. That ought ta keep one busy for awhile.

Now, how's about tellin just a bit about yerself. A virginian with a moniker from Minnesota has ta have a story ta go with it...

[Minnesota Mike]

Grew up in MN. Navy brought me out here to VA.

Had muzzleloader back in college for deer hunting (still use it) - a few years ago got my brother and I got Dad a smokepole for extra 2-weeks deer hunting here in VA. Looking for a place to practice led us to the James River Black Powder Club - great bunch of guys, so we joined. Then came the rest of the primitive kit - clothes, gear, tent, camp set, etc. - Also meant putting a persona together that ties everything all together.

Since we roamed, canoed and hunted all over northern MN (scout troop canoed and camped a lot!), we decided to stick with territory we knew. But because Dad doesn't want to play with flintlocks (yet) we needed to stick to percussion weapons - which weren't really commercially viable until late 1820s. So we targeted fur traders/hunters as part of the American Fur Company which had an outpost at Sandy Lake on the Mississippi as part of the Savannah Portage. It's a very interesting time period with a lot going on - although most hostilities have settled to a low simmer by 1830, the fur companies aren't openly shooting at each other and the Dakota and Ojibway are relative un-hostile (never at peace), Fort Snelling is up and running, and steamboats are coming up river - civilization is getting closer, but ain't there yet.

I've done a lot of research to date. Have several sources that talk about the fur trade and many of the personalities - but am looking for specifics to help try to reconstruct the outpost itself and what daily life would have been. Some good info on earlier posts, but that puts things back into the flinter period.

Most easily accessible literature seems to jump from the voyaguers to the mountain men, skipping decades and hundreds of miles. So any help nailing down that outpost would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

r/
MM

[RichW]

I realize I'm repeating myself, but do check out these resources, if you haven't seen them before.  Aitkin took over at Sandy Lake in 1830.
The article below that is about artifacts found on the site of the blacksmith's shop.

I agree, the AFCo is really hard to track down!  Now if ya wanted NWCo or HBC, you would have a huge library to work with.

For William Aitkin at Sandy Lake, see

http://books.google.com/books?id=ZCdkrd ... +Aitkin%22

There's a pretty neat article on the artifacts found at the lake:

http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/cdm ... 9378&REC=4

[Minnesota Mike]

Neat article. Especially like the comment about "interest in the history of the area was contagious" - a common ailment we all can suffer from.

Have copy of LT Allen's report on his trip with Schoolcraft in 1832. Aitkin was involved with the Sandy Lake post well before 1830 - really wish he'd written journal or something like many others did, would make this a lot easier.

Also have copy of Philander Prescot's Rem. Good description of the area and general life - but Prescot was opposition trader (Columbia) and when he visited Aitkin, that was before the post was moved in 1820s.

LT Pike had good description of general area as well in his reports - but that was in 1805 when the old post was still a NWC post.

r/
MM

[RichW]

really wish he'd written journal or something like many others did, would make this a lot easier.

Yeah, that's probably part of why NWCo and XY are so well studied: they required journals!

I haven't seen Prescot.  Got a ref?

[Minnesota Mike]

THE RECOLLECTIONS OF PHILANDER PRESCOTT, FRONTIERSMAN OF THE OLD NORTHWEST 1819-1862. Edited by Donald Dean Parker. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1966

Very well written and fairly frank. Here's a good description of the book:

http://clarke.cmich.edu/detroit/prescott1819.htm

r/
MM

[RichW]

Interesting.  Thanks!

I have only see his "narratives" in here:

Schoolcraft, Henry Rowe, 1793-1864, Historical and Statistical Information Respecting the History, Condition and Prospects of the Indian Tribes of the United States, vol. 3. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Grambo and Co., 1857.

Not the same thing, I guess!

[Minnesota Mike]

Not quite.

Especially liked the bit where he and his brother would shoot candles of each other shoulders with pistols.

Have been through the various books by Schoolcraft - neat stuff. One of these days intend to add to collection, but just not now.

Have this by Schoolcraft: NARRATIVE OF AN EXPEDITION THROUGH THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI TO ITASCA LAKE, THE ACTUAL SOURCE OF THIS RIVER; EMBRACING AN EXPLORATORY TRIP THROUGH THE ST. CROIX AND BURNTWOOD (OR BROULE) RIVERS; IN 1832 UNDER THE DIRECTION OF HENRY R. SCHOOLCRAFT.

By another who went on the trip: SCHOOLCRAFT'S EXPLORING TOUR OF 1832. BY REV. W. T. BOUTWELL.

And LT Allen's report: SCHOOLCRAFT AND ALLEN & EXPEDITION TO NORTHWEST INDIANS. LETTER FROM THE SECRETARY OF WAR, TRANSMITTING. A Map and Report of Lieut. Allen and H. B. Schoolcraft's visit to the Northwest Indians in 1832. APRIL 12, 1834. Read, and laid upon the table. WAR DEPARTMENT, April 11, 1834.

Interesting to compare this with LT Allen's report of the same trip and Allen's changing opinion of Schoolcraft during the 1832 journey.

I just wish that they had been more descriptive of the Sandy Lake outpost considering that they spent time there. Oh well . . .

r/
MM

[RichW]

Sounds like you have done more than just scratching the surface.  I don't have any of Schoolcraft's books

I had to build a new bookshelf, and it's already full!

[Minnesota Mike]

Sounds like you have done more than just scratching the surface.  I don't have any of Schoolcraft's books

Yup . . . but still have not hit pay dirt . . . yet.

r/
MM