Ross's Adventures of the first settlers on the Oregon or Columbia River, 1810-1813

In Short

Alexander Ross delivers an eyewitness narrative detailing John Jacob Astor’s attempt to establish an American fur empire at the mouth of the Columbia River. Embarking on the ill-fated ship Tonquin, a fragile alliance of American traders, Scottish partners, and French-Canadian voyageurs sails around South America to found Fort Astoria. The enterprise collapses under the weight of tyrannical leadership, catastrophic maritime losses, harsh wilderness conditions, and rivalries with the British North-West Company. Ross records this downfall alongside vivid ethnographic descriptions of local Pacific Northwest tribes, creating a classic account of early American expansion.

The Story

The narrative begins in 1810 with the formation of the Pacific Fur Company, funded by merchant John Jacob Astor. Astor envisions a lucrative trade network bridging the American wilderness, Pacific ports, and Asian markets. To execute the project, he hires veteran Canadian traders and partners, sending one contingent aboard the Tonquin under the command of Captain Jonathan Thorn. The journey around Cape Horn to Hawaii and the Pacific Northwest is defined by severe friction between the autocratic captain and the experienced traders. Upon reaching the treacherous bar of the Columbia River, Thorn’s stubborn rashness costs several crew members their lives during initial landings.

Despite these grim beginnings, the party establishes Fort Astoria on the south bank of the Columbia River, clearing massive timber by hand and planting crops. The initial optimism vanishes when the Tonquin sails north for trade, only to be completely lost with all hands, leaving Astoria isolated and critically short of supplies. Left without sufficient defensive palisades or adequate goods, the remaining traders face growing hostility from surrounding native groups and the threat of starvation.

To salvage the venture, inland expeditions branch out into the interior. Ross leads a detachment up the Columbia River to establish a trading post at Oakinacken, while other parties explore the Snake River and cross the Rocky Mountains to convey dispatches back to St. Louis. These interior journeys prove brutally taxing. The traders endure blinding snowstorms, loss of provisions, navigating boiling rapids, and shifting alliances with indigenous populations. Meanwhile, rival agents from the British North-West Company arrive, actively competing for trade routes and sowing division among local tribes.

As news arrives of the War of 1812 between Great Britain and the United States, the situation at Fort Astoria grows hopeless. Cut off from Astor's support and facing the arrival of armed British vessels, partners Duncan M'Dougall and Donald M'Kenzie negotiate the liquidation of the Pacific Fur Company. They sell the fort, furs, and property to the North-West Company for a fraction of their value, effectively ending Astor's grand Pacific scheme. Ross accepts a post with the victorious British company, concluding his chronicle with detailed reflections on the customs, social structures, and languages of the regional native tribes he observed.

How It Unfolds

The expedition sets sail John Jacob Astor forms the Pacific Fur Company in 1810, uniting American capital with experienced Scottish and Canadian fur traders. The party boards the Tonquin, but severe conflict rapidly erupts between the tyrannical Captain Thorn and the crew and partners.

Crossing the Columbia bar Arriving at the mouth of the Columbia River in early 1811, Captain Thorn forces inexperienced men into small boats amidst violent surf. Multiple men drown navigating the shifting sandbars before the surviving expedition lands safely.

Building Fort Astoria The traders clear massive trees by hand to lay the foundation of Fort Astoria on May 16, 1811. Shortly after, the Tonquin departs on a trading voyage north, where the ship and everyone on board are lost, leaving the new post defenseless and impoverished.

Pushing into the interior Traders venture upriver to establish trade networks, with Ross founding a post at Oakinacken. The parties face immense physical hardships, including lost gear, treacherous river currents, and severe winter blizzards.

Rivalry and war British agents from the North-West Company race to claim territory along the Columbia River. The outbreak of the War of 1812 seals Astoria's fate, forcing the isolated partners to sell the entire enterprise to their British rivals.

The People

• John Jacob Astor: The wealthy merchant behind the Pacific Fur Company. He invests 200,000 dollars to secure a monopoly on the Pacific Northwest fur trade, but his grand geographic strategy fails due to poor leadership choices on the ground.
• Captain Jonathan Thorn: The tyrannical commander of the Tonquin. His harsh discipline, open contempt for his passengers, and reckless judgment lead directly to tragic drownings on the Columbia bar and the ultimate loss of his ship.
• Alexander Ross: A clerk and chronicler for the enterprise who displays remarkable resilience. He handles dangerous overland assignments, builds the post at Oakinacken, and survives extreme winter weather before transferring into the North-West Company.
• Duncan M'Dougall: A partner in the Pacific Fur Company left in charge of Astoria. Facing supply shortages and British naval threats, he makes the controversial decision to sell the company's assets to British competitors.
• Wilson Price Hunt: An American partner who leads the arduous overland party from St. Louis. Though respected for his integrity and kindness, his lack of wilderness trade experience contributes to catastrophic delays.

In Its Own Voice

"The bar, or rather the chain of sand banks, over which the huge waves and foaming breakers roll so awfully, is a league broad, and extends in a white foaming sheet for many miles, both south and north of the mouth of the river..."

Ross describes the terrifying physical barrier that guards the mouth of the Columbia River, where several men drown attempting to land.

"When the ship left us, not a gun was mounted; not a palisade raised; nor the least precaution taken to secure either life or property."

Following the departure of the Tonquin, Ross criticizes the total lack of basic defensive preparations at the newly christened Astoria.

"I instantly cut the tyings, threw off the load, and mounting on the pack-saddle, rode off at full speed through the deep snow, in the hopes of reaching a well-known place of shelter not far off..."

During an overland journey near Spokane, Ross recounts finding himself caught unarmed and coatless in a sudden, blinding blizzard.

What It's Really About

Beneath the travel narrative lies a study of institutional failure caused by poor command structures and cultural misunderstandings. Ross demonstrates how imperial ambitions on paper collapse when disconnected from the harsh realities of remote environments. The narrative explores the fragility of human cooperation under extreme stress, contrasting the internal squabbling of the company's leaders with the practical skills required to survive in the wilderness. Furthermore, the text provides an early documentary record of indigenous economics, illustrating how Native American tribes strategically navigated European commercial rivalries to protect their own interests.

Why Read It Today

Ross's narrative appeals to readers fascinated by wilderness survival, early American history, and the reality of frontier commerce stripped of romantic myth. His prose is straightforward, grounded, and observant, balancing high-stakes maritime and overland disasters with precise ethnographic detail. The book does present certain historical hurdles: readers must navigate period-specific terminology, detailed descriptions of fur prices, and the typical 19th-century colonial attitudes toward indigenous populations. However, Ross remains a remarkably fair-minded observer who frequently highlights the missteps and arrogance of his fellow Europeans. What stays with the reader is the sheer physical struggle of the enterprise—the backbreaking labor of clearing ancient forests without draft animals, the terror of navigating unknown river bars, and the haunting solitude of winter trading posts thousands of miles from civilization.