The Fur Trade GambleNorth West Company on the Pacific Slope, 1800-1820Lloyd Keith and John C. JacksonNarrated by Bill Nevitt Book published by Washington State University Press Before Hudson’s Bay Company domination, Montreal entrepreneurs and American John Jacob Astor vied to command Northwest fur trade. In this era of grand risk, controlling the mouth of the Columbia River and developing the China market were major prizes. Traversing the world in search of profit, these fur moguls gambled lives and capital on the price of beaver pelts, purchases of ships and trade goods, international commerce laws, and the effects of war. Lloyd Keith is Professor emeritus of history and sociology, Shoreline Community College. John C. Jackson has worked for twenty-five years as an investigative historian assembling data and background on numerous historical figures that have been overlooked by conventional history. He has published widely on Native history. |