Introduction

In the early 1800s, European and American trappers came into the area that is now Utah to hunt beavers. Beaver pelts were valuable, and many people in Europe wanted them. For about 40 years, American, French, British, and outside Native American trappers met and traded with the Native American people who lived in the Utah area. The Native people of Utah had a big influence on the fur trade, and the trappers also influenced Native cultures. In this activity, you will explore how these different groups affected one another.

Vocabulary

Rocky Mountain Fur Trade: American fur company.
Shoshoni: Native American tribe that lived in Utah.
Ute: Native American group in Utah.
Paiute: Native American group in Utah.
Nez Perce: Native American group in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.
Hudson’s Bay Company: British fur trading company.
Mountain Men: European and American men who traded in the western United States.

Shoshone Trade Fairs

Before Europeans came to the West, Native American tribes in Utah—including the Shoshone, Goshute, Ute, Paiute, and Navajo—had already built strong political and trade systems. These tribes traded, formed alliances, and influenced each other in many ways.

By the late 1700s, the Shoshone were very successful because of their yearly trade fairs. These fairs happened during salmon season and brought tribes together from the Pacific Coast to the Great Plains. The Nez Perce traveled from the northwest with horses to trade. The Crow came from what is now Wyoming to trade and find wives. Tribes from the coast brought seashells and other goods. The Shoshone traded buffalo meat and hides.

Photo by Wikimedia Commons

These gatherings helped tribes share goods and socialize. They also helped the Shoshone grow stronger and prepared them for the later fur trade with Europeans.

Early Spanish Trader

The first Europeans to trade in the West, especially in Utah, were the Spanish. The Dominguez and Escalante expedition mapped much of Utah and created trade routes that lasted for generations. They formed early trade relationships with Native tribes and set the pattern for future European–Native trade.

Later, the Old Spanish Trail was created. It stretched from Santa Fe to Los Angeles and passed through Utah. This trail opened major trade routes and helped build more complex trading systems.

Spanish influence eventually decreased as the United States took more land in the West. Although the Spanish were important early traders, they were not major players in the fur trade. American, French, British, and Native traders soon became more influential.

French Trappers

French speaking trappers from Canada and France also trapped in the region that became Utah. Unlike other groups, French trappers did not have a single organized company. Many were independent and became known as the “Taos Trappers.”

The Taos Trappers worked mostly out of Taos, New Mexico, and handled business in St. Louis, Missouri. They trapped in Utah, used Taos as a stopover, and sold furs in St. Louis. Well-known French trappers included Étienne Provost, Antoine Robidoux, and François Antoine Larocque.

Étienne Provost is especially remembered in Utah—Provo is named after him. He was one of the first trappers to enter Utah and spent years exploring, guiding, building forts, and sometimes fighting with local groups.

Photo by Pixabay

British Trappers

British trappers mainly worked for two major Canadian fur companies: the Hudson’s Bay Company and the North West Company. The Hudson’s Bay Company began in 1670 and built many trading posts. By the 1820s, the two companies merged under the Hudson’s Bay name, which became a powerful trading force. The company later expanded into other businesses and continued into the 21st century.

Photo by Wikipedia

The most famous British trapper was Peter Skene Ogden. Born in Quebec City, Ogden was fluent in both French and English. He joined the British North West Company as a teenager and went on many expeditions.
He led two major trapping journeys into Utah (in 1824 and 1828). Ogden worked closely with American, French, and Native traders. Several Utah places, including the city of Ogden and Deserters Point, are named because of his activities in the region.

American Trappers

American trappers became involved in the Rocky Mountain fur trade and arrived in northern Utah in the early 1820s. Americans formed companies such as the American Fur Company and the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. Trappers who worked for them gathered furs and traded with many Native American groups.

Between 1825 and 1840 American businessmen hosted large gatherings called rendezvous, where American, French, British, and Native people traded goods. The first of these was organized by mountain man William Henry Ashley in what is now Wyoming. Several rendezvous were held in Utah.

One of the most famous American mountain men was Jedediah Smith. He was the first to travel overland to California crossing the Great Plains and the Sierra Nevada mountains. His journal tells about his interaction with Utes, Paiutes, and other Native American groups.

Other important American trappers included Osborne Russell, Jim Bridger, William Craig, and Warren Ferris.

Photo by Wikipedia

One of the most famous American mountain men was Jedediah Smith. He was the first to travel overland to California from the east and crossed both the Sierra Nevada and the Great Basin. His travels brought him into early contact with the Ute, Paiute, and other Native groups. He became well-known for his bravery and exploration and joined the Rocky Mountain Fur Company.

Other important American traders included Osborne Russell, Jim Bridger, William Craig, and Warren Ferris.

End of an Era

Changes in fashion led to the decline and end of the trapping era in the western United States and Canada. Some trappers returned to their lives in eastern cities. Some became guides for pioneer groups, leading the newcomers on trails they had traveled for years. Others repurposed their trading posts to outfit the wagon trains of people traveling to Oregon, California, and Utah.

Additional Resources
https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/hudsons-bay-company
https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/north-west-company
https://www.nps.gov/dino/learn/historyculture/the-dominguez-and-escalante-expedition.htm
https://www.visitutah.com/articles/traveling-back-in-time-on-the-old-spanish-trail
https://oldspanishtrail.org/our-history/
https://historytogo.utah.gov/traders/
https://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/p/PROVOST_ETIENNE.shtml
https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/hudsons-bay-company
https://www.historylink.org/File/9693
https://historytogo.utah.gov/ogden-peter-skene/
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7th Grade:

UT Standard 1.3: Students will explain the economic activity of a prehistoric and/or historic American Indian tribal community by using basic economic concepts, including supply, demand, trade, and scarcity. (economics)

UT Standard 1.4: Students will analyze primary and secondary sources to explain causes and effects of European-American exploration, including the response and involvement of Utah's American Indian tribes. (history)

8th Grade:

U.S. I Standard 6.1: Students will compare and contrast historians’ interpretations of the ideas, resources, and events that motivated the territorial expansion of the United States.

U.S. I Standard 6.2: Students will use primary sources representing multiple perspectives to interpret conflicts that arose during American expansion, especially as American Indians were forced from their traditional lands and as tensions grew over free and slave holding territory.

U.S. I Standard 6.4: Students will make a case for the most significant cultural, political, and economic impacts of territorial and/or industrial expansion.