David Stuart (c. 1765-1853) was a
fur trader who worked primarily for the
North West and
Pacific Fur companies throughout his varied career.
Fort Astoria
In the official
Fort Astoria
Fort Astoria (also named Fort George) was the primary Fur trade, fur trading post of John Jacob Astor's Pacific Fur Company (PFC). A maritime contingent of PFC staff was sent on board the ''Tonquin (1807 ship), Tonquin'', while another party tra ...
logbook maintained by station manager
Duncan McDougall, Stuart was recorded in May 1811 as suffering overexertion and potentially a hernia from clearing timber. In the same month, the
Chinookans reported sighting a merchant vessel near their settlements on the coast. Rather than lose the beaver skins to rival
Maritime fur traders, McDougall sent Stuart on 22 May to
Comcomly's village across the Columbia River. The reported vessel never actually appeared after its existence was announced by Chinookan traders. This episode has been suggested by historian Robert F. Jones to have been a Chinookan "stratagem" to "secure better prices, perhaps for inferior skins." Stuart returned the following day with only 20 beaver pelts.
Throughout June, Stuart and
Gabriel Franchère cleared, planted and maintained a garden to grow an amount of fresh produce. In the same month, David was also appointed to oversee two canoes of men to go gather large stockpiles of tree bark. This material was utilised by the fur traders to create roofing and siding for their dwellings and related buildings. He departed with four
French-Canadian
French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French colonists first arriving in France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of French Canadians live in the prov ...
s and four
Hawaiian Kanakas near the end of June from Astoria to
Cape Disappointment. The party was taken there by
Coalpo on a canoe the Clatsop noble owned. While there he reviewed the general terrain and fur bearing animal populations.
Fort Okanogan
In July 1811, Stuart was given orders to open a second trade post for the PFC. The intelligence for a suitable location came from
Kaúxuma Núpika, a
Two-Spirit
''Two-spirit'' (also known as ''two spirit'' or occasionally ''twospirited'', or abbreviated as ''2S'' or ''2E'', especially in Canada) is a umbrella term used by some Indigenous North Americans to describe Native people who fulfill a trad ...
from the
Ktunaxa people. Kaúxuma recommended that the station be opened near the
confluence
In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...
of the Columbia and "the
Okannaakken River." The personnel assigned to join Stuart were eight men, including
Alexander Ross,
François Benjamin Pillet,
Ovide de Montigny, and
Naukane. The party left on the 21st, following the course of the Columbia River in the company of
David Thompson and his party of NWC men. Thompson had previously came down the Columbia to Fort Astoria on 15 July from
New Caledonia
New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...
.
A
French-Canadian
French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French colonists first arriving in France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of French Canadians live in the prov ...
assigned to the interior journey under Stuart back arrived at Fort Astoria in early October. He brought back news of the successful opening of
Fort Okanogan and that the
Syilx
The Syilx () people, also known as the Okanagan, Suknaqinx, or Okinagan people, are a First Nations in Canada, First Nations and Native Americans in the United States, Native American people whose traditional territory spans the Canada–United St ...
peoples were reportedly favorable to developing commercial ties with the PFC. However, in tours of the hinterlands trade goods of the NWC were found among the local inhabitants near Fort Okanogan's eventual location.
On 18 January 1812, Stuart arrived at Fort Astoria with
Étienne Lucier,
Robert McClellan,
John Reed and seven other men. McClellan, Reed and Lucier were members of the overland expedition that had traveled overland from
Fort Mackinac (in the modern state of
Michigan
Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
) under
W. Price Hunt's authority. The assembled men told McDougall of the remaining members of the expedition and their privations crossing the continent. Stuart's party had to leave Hunt and the majority of the PFC laborers in the
Snake River basin to procure supplies and aid at Astoria. In the meantime Alexander Ross was left alone at Fort Okanogan, wintering among the Syilx. The addition of fifty or more men was feared by McDougall to potentially wreck the already uncertain Astorian food stockpiles. Hunt, about thirty men,
Marie Aioe Dorion and her two children reached Fort Astoria on 15 February 1812.
Citations
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Stuart, David
1760s births
1853 deaths
Fur traders
North West Company people
Pre-Confederation British Columbia people
People from Oregon Country