The Perilous West

October 22, 2012
Lewis and Clark’s 1804 expedition prompted numerous similar attempts to explore and exploit the West, paving the way for cutthroat rivalries and revolving partnerships between competing fur traders, trappers, and native peoples. Morris (The Fate of the Corps) takes a scholarly look at the ill-fated lives of seven explorers, including an abused and pregnant Native American who ventured with her two small children through hostile territory and endured intense deprivation. While noted fur company owners such as John Jacob Astor waged economic war against other well-heeled rivals, the ruthlessness and bitterness was much more personal for trappers deep in various Native American hunting grounds, where they fought natural obstacles like unforgiving storms and the raging Snake River, as well as each other. The detailed descriptions of these dangerous treks render some of the lesser-known pioneers interchangeable in their misery and struggles; the appendix of biographical histories and chronology is crucial for armchair navigation. Although the expeditions are sometimes difficult to track, Morris offers a revealing look behind frontier fatalism and the drive to be the first to discover—and capitalize on—America’s hidden resources. Illus.

February 1, 2013

Morris (The Fate of the Corps: What Became of the Lewis and Clark Explorers After the Expedition) here focuses on the early 1800s Western fur trade, beginning with Robert McClellan and Ramsey Crooks, both of whom started up the Missouri River in 1806, each meeting the returning Lewis and Clark expedition. Despite the title, the adventures of many more than seven major historical figures are presented here in a single integrated narrative about the search for a new overland route to reach the Oregon country. Prominently featured is Marie Dorion, the Iowa Indian wife of interpreter and hunter Pierre Dorian Jr. In 1811-12 she became the second woman in recorded Western history to travel cross-country to the Pacific Ocean, with voyageurs employed by St. Louis fur merchant Wilson Price Hunt. Marie Dorion's adventures parallel those of Sacagawea of the Lewis and Clark expedition; the two women even seem to have befriended each other between 1809 and 1811. VERDICT Highly recommended for both specialists and general readers, this history of the Western fur trade and early explorers along the Oregon Trail is a welcome addition to the literature.--Nathan Bender, Albany Cty. P.L., Laramie, WY

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