A Narrative of Colonel Robert Campbell's Experiences in the Rocky Mountain Fur Trade from 1825 to 1835 E-Book

Robert Campbell

• Herausgeber: Charles River Editors
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 47

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Beschreibung

A Narrative of Colonel Robert Campbell's Experiences in the Rocky Mountain Fur Trade from 1825 to 1835 is an interesting memoir from the time of booming fur trade out of Missouri and farther west.

Leseprobe

A NARRATIVE OF COLONEL ROBERT CAMPBELL’S EXPERIENCES IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FUR TRADE FROM 1825 TO 1835

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Robert Campbell

LACONIA PUBLISHERS

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Copyright © 2016 by Robert Campbell

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

A NARRATIVE OF COLONEL ROBERT CAMPBELL’S EXPERIENCES IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FUR TRADE FROM 1825 TO 1835

A NARRATIVE OF COLONEL ROBERT CAMPBELL’S EXPERIENCES IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FUR TRADE FROM 1825 TO 1835

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PREFATORY

THE FOLLOWING NARRATIVE BY THE late Col. Robert Campbell, contains a sketch of his life and remarkable experiences while engaged in the Rocky Mountain Fur trade, during a period of ten years-from 1825 to 1835.

It was dictated to me in the year 1870, while I was accompanying him and Hon. Felix R. Brunot, President of the Board of Indian Commissioners as their Secretary, on a mission to Fort Laramie, to treat with Red Cloud. The notes were taken by installments after various intervals on our trip, while the narrator was in the reminiscent mood, and each recital was suspended as soon as he found it tiresome.

Mr. Brunot who was made acquainted with my purpose, expressed his approbation, because no connected account of that portion of Col. Campbell’s life, had ever been given to the public.

In fact, this is the only record ever authorized or made of Col. Campbell’s experiences.

With a modesty characteristic of him, he avoided notoriety, and although the names of Sublette and Campbell, in the “Adventures of Capt. Bonneville,” are given honorable mention in the glowing style of Washington Irving; yet Mr. Campbell, instead of feeling flattered and indisposed to criticism, told me that the account there given on the Blackfeet fight at Pierres Hole, in which he participated was erroneous, and mixed up with incidents that transpired in other encounters.

He said further that he designed to have that account corrected.

I have frequently been solicited by the late Albert Todd and others to write out the notes which I made under the circumstances above related, for the use of the Missouri Historical Society, but partly through a fault of procrastination and partly because of the pressure of other duties, I failed to comply with these requests.

This M.S. is now prepared expressly for and at the instance of Mr. Hugh Campbell and his brothers-the sons of my deceased and venerated friend.

In reading over my notes after the lapse of so many years, I find some breaks or lapses in the narrative, where evidently I had placed a dependence on memory to fill up the omissions.

I now regret they were not fuller, because the strength of my memory was inadequate to tide over the long and unexpected delay in writing out the story.

I have taken pains to transcribe the notes exactly as dictated, without any attempt to color or expand the plain, unpretentious narration.

I cannot close these prefatory observations without adding a few remarks on my own account concerning the subject of this sketch.

The privations perils endured by Col. Campbell in that portion of his life which is treated of here, doubtless laid the foundation of a prosperous business career and his name became widely known throughout the Far West as a merchant banker, having dealings with the Traders throughout the vast region from Santa Fe to the mouth of the Yellowstone.

With these people his credit stood high and unimpeached, as the following incident told me by Gen. Raynolds, of the U.S. Engineer Corps, who conducted an exploring expedition across the Bad Lands on the Upper Missouri, by order of the government in 1857, will illustrate.

Before starting out from Fort Pierre, the General said, he needed money and supplies for the outfit. He applied to the Traders there for means, but they refused credit to the United States, and would only accept drafts on Robert Campbell of St. Louis, whom they knew and would trust sooner than the Government.

There was something grand in such a distinction as this, no matter what the circumstances.

One thing more; on one occasion Col. Campbell stated to us the circumstances which induced him to go to the Mountains in 1825. He came to St. Louis he said, when a young man, seeking employment.

He was an invalid, pale and subject to hemorrhages of the lungs.

He saw old Doctor Farrar, who advised him, saying: “Young man your symptoms are consumptive, and I advise you to go to the Rocky Mountains. I have before sent two or three young men there in your condition, and they came back restored to health and as hearty as bucks.”

This latter statement I furnished, I believe, at the time of Col. Campbell’s death for the obituary notice in the Missouri Republican.

St. Louis, July 1886

William Fayel.

In 1825 I started from St. Louis, joining Gen. Ashley in an expedition to the Rocky Mountains. Gen. Ashley had just returned from a successful trade in the mountains.

Henry and Ashley in 1822 went up to the mouth of the Yellowstone, where they had a fort.

In 1823, Ashley had a fight with the Arickerees at the old Arickeree village on the Missouri river. He lost twenty men.

He sent news of the fight to Council Bluffs, and Col. Leavenworth went up with troops and destroyed the Arickeree village.