18 FUR FACTS 



The old Missouri Fur Company operated successfully until in 

 extending their operations westward, they met the trade of John 

 Jacob Astor, which, starting from Astoria, located about 75 miles 

 northwest of the present city of Portland, Oregon, was pushing to the 

 East, when a combination of interests was effected and the St. Louis 

 traders united the Missouri Fur Company with Astor in the Amer- 

 ican Fur Company. 



Astor withdrew some time after 1830, and the American Fur 

 Company fell to Pierre Chouteau, Jr., who conducted its operations 

 over the whole field in the West, south of the domain of the Hudson's 

 Bay Company. 



Some of the men who pioneered in developing and establishing 

 the early fur trade in St. Louis were: 



PIERRE LACLEDE LIGUEST JOSEPH MILLER 



PIERRE CHOUTEAU ROBERT MCCLELLAND 



AUGUSTE CHOUTEAU DONALD MCKENZIE 



MANUEL LISA ROBERT STUART 



DANIEL BOONE WILSON P. HUNT 



JOHN JACOB ASTOR LEWIS CLARK 



WILLIAM CLARK DAVID P. MITCHELL 



RUEBEN LEWIS JOHN A. SIRE 



JOHN PIERRE CAB ANNE JAMES A. HAMILTON 



CHARLES GRATIOT ALEXANDER CULBERTSON 



BARNARD PRATTE ANDREW HENRY 



JOHN B. SARPY JIM BRIDGES 



BARTHOLOMEW BARTHOLD ELIJAH B. MATTHEWS 



THOMAS L. SARPY THOMAS FITZPATRICK 



PETER L. SARPY WILLIAM H. ASHLEY 



RUSSELL FARNHAM WILLIAM L. SUBLETTE 



RAMSEY CROOKES ROBERT CAMPBELL 



KENNETH MCKENZIE MILTON SUBLETTE 



DANIEL DARLING 



Fur and peltry currency in St. Louis, and, indeed, in the whole 

 West in transactions between St. Louis and New Orleans, Louis- 

 ville and Pittsburg was a necessity of the times, for gold and silver 

 money was scarce and inadequate to the needs of business. Furs 

 and skins commanded a ready sale and they further possessed the 

 quality of being easily transferred and containing a great value in 

 a small compass. 



In 1807 Judge J. B. C. Lucas bought a house in St. Louis from 

 Pierre Duquochette, for $600 and paid the entire sum in furs and pelts. 



