The Ashley Expedition

In 1822 William H. Ashley comes into prominence, being connected with the American Fur Company. In that year, he helped Alexander Henry to erect a trading fort on the Yellowstone River, and a year later, he started up the Missouri River with 28 men, bound for that post. On the way, they were attacked by Arikara Indians and driven back, having fourteen killed and ten wounded. Undaunted by this, Ashley enlisted 300 followers, and in 1824 struck out across the Plains, following the Platte River to the South Pass, and exploring the Sweetwater River.

He pushed through the mountains to Utah Lake, built a fort there, and two years later, sold out his interest to several of his men, Jedediah S. Smith William L. Sublette, and David E. Jackson. These were well known names among early trappers and traders, Smith having reached California, by the way of Utah and Nevada, as early as 1826.

The requirements of the fur trade, carried on as it was in the midst of hostile Indians, and at a great distance from civilization, led to the early establishment at convenient points for transportation, of posts or forts.

These were usually controlled by the great fur companies, yet were occasionally erected by individuals. In appearance they differed little, except in size, and the material used in construction. Where possible, forest trees were utilized for buildings and stockade, although on the open prairie, earth was occasionally made to serve these purposes, and in the far south, adobe prevailed. In the later days of the trade the majority of these forts were in the mountains; yet near enough to the western edge of the Plains to deal with the Plains Indians, but earlier, one can trace the slow advance of the trapper into the wilderness by the posts thus built along his way. Between 1807 and 1843, over 140 of these posts were erected throughout the Western country.

French Forts in the Valley of the Missouri River

Fort Orleans, built by the French under M. Bourgemont, was the first of the Missouri River posts, dating back to 1772, and stood upon an island five miles below" the mouth of the Grand River. There is a tradition that it was once attacked by Indians, and all the residents massacred. At least three posts were a little later established in the Osage Valley, but acquired no special importance. Fort Osage, or Fort Clark, stood near the site of Sibley, Missouri, below the mouth of the Kansas River. It later became a Government fort, and was garrisoned until 1827. Francis G. Chouteau, a famous trader, built two posts in the country of the Kanza Indians. The first was destroyed by flood in 1826, but the second, about ten miles up the Kansas River, was maintained for many years. An old French fort, the history of which is unknown, stood on the Kansas River shore opposite the upper end of Kickapoo Island, well back among the bluffs. It was in ruins as early as 1819. A post, erected by Joseph Robidoux, and known as Blacksnake Hills, stood on the present site of St. Joseph, Missouri. At Council Bluffs, Iowa, a number of posts were built, but their names have been forgotten. This was a famous trading-point; but the Council Bluffs of those earlier years was 25 miles above the modern city of that name, and on the opposite side of the river, being about where the little town of Calhoun now stands. In the fifty years following the Lewis and Clark Expedition not less than twenty trading-forts were erected between this point and the mouth of the Platte River. Probably the oldest of these was Bellevue, which is believed to have been established in 1805. The most important, however, was Fort Lisa, Nebraska, founded in 1812, and situated six miles below old Council Bluffs.

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