Essential Facts
- Born — Andrew Henry was born in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, around 1775.
- Died — Henry died on January 10, 1832, at the age of 56.
- Buried — He was buried in Bennett Bryan Cemetery in Washington County, Missouri.
- Famous For — Henry is famous for his participation in the Western Fur Trade, his role in establishing the Missouri Fur Company and the Rocky Mountain Fur Company, and his association with men like Manuel Lisa and William H. Ashley.
History
Andrew Henry played a crucial role in the Westward Expansion and Western Fur Trade in America. Although he is often overshadowed by his business partner, General William Henry Ashley, Henry’s contributions to the establishment of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company cannot be denied.
Early Years
Henry was born in Pennsylvania and later moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and eventually to the Louisiana Territory. He managed a lead mine near present-day Potosi, Missouri.
St. Louis Missouri Fur Company
In 1809, when Manuel Lisa established the St. Louis Missouri Fur Company, Henry was one of its founding members and was a captain during the company’s trapping expeditions. That same year, Henry and Lisa encountered John Colter, the legendary Mountain Man who had been part of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Colter joined them for the remainder of their journey.
Lake Henry
In 1810, Henry led an expedition to the Three Forks in the mountains of Montana and Idaho, where he discovered a lake that is named after him — Lake Henry. Henry and his men explored the region and built a trading post at the Three Forks of the Missouri River. However, after encountering trouble with the Blackfoot Indians, the fort was abandoned.
First American to Conduct Business West of the Continental Divide
At that point, roughly half the men in his expedition returned to St. Louis. However, Henry led the other half further up the Madison River. Eventually, they built another trading post near present-day St. Anthony, Idaho, at Henry’s Fork of the Snake River. This trading post was the first American trading post west of the Continental Divide, and he is believed to be the first American to conduct business west of the Divide.
War of 1812
Henry returned to St. Louis in 1812 and resumed his lead mining activities, and conducted business with William Henry Ashley. Soon after Henry’s return, the War of 1812 broke out. Henry and Ashley provided lead and saltpeter to the army, which was used for the production of ammunition. Henry also joined the Missouri Volunteer Infantry and rose to the rank of Major.
Ashley-Henry Fur Company
Henry continued to do business with Ashley, and in 1822, they decided to form a company and enter into the Western Fur Trade.
Fort Henry
Henry led the first expedition, which built a trading post, also called Fort Henry, at the confluence of the Yellowstone River. In the spring of 1822, Henry led the first expedition, which traveled to the mouth of the Yellowstone River and then up to the Musselshell River. At the confluence of the Yellowstone, Henry and his men built a trading post, known as Fort Henry. Henry then waited for Ashley to organize his expedition and join him.
Ashley’s Hundred and the Arikara War
Ashley ran newspaper ads, looking for “enterprising young men” to join their venture. This expedition is referred to as “Ashley’s Hundred” and is often looked at as the beginning of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company.
While traveling to Fort Henry, the expedition was attacked by the Arikara Indians, triggering the Arikara War. After the attack, Henry joined the military expedition, led by Henry Leavenworth, that attacked the Arikara and destroyed their village.
On the journey back to Fort Henry, Henry and his men were attacked by Mandan Indians, but were able to return to the fort. Henry spent the rest of the winter at Fort Henry.
Men like Jim Bridger, James Clyman, Hugh Glass, Daniel T. Potts, William Sublette, Milton Sublette, James Beckwourth, David Edward Jackson, Joseph Meek, Robert Newell, and Thomas Fitzpatrick signed on as trappers for the company. They became legends in the Western Fur Trade.
Later Years and Death
In 1824, Henry decided to leave the partnership due to the financial losses of the expeditions. He sold out to Ashley, retired from the Fur Trade, and returned to his home in Washington County, Missouri. He died on January 10, 1832.
Biography
AHC Note — This biography of Andrew Henry is from the Dictionary of American Biography, Vol. I, edited by Allen Johnson and published by the American Council of Learned Societies in 1945. Minor text corrections have been made.
Andrew Henry (c. 1775–1833) was a fur trapper, soldier, lead miner, and politician. He was the son of George and Margaret (Young) Henry and was born in York County, Pennsylvania. For a time, he lived in Nashville, Tennessee, and moved to Sainte Genevieve, Missouri, in April 1800. He briefly returned to Nashville before settling in Washington County, Missouri, where he became involved in the lead mining industry.
Henry married Marie Villars on December 16, 1805. However, the marriage was short-lived. They separated in January 1806, and Henry secured a divorce from her on October 15, 1807.
On March 7, 1809, he joined Manuel Lisa, Pierre Chouteau, and others in establishing the St. Louis Missouri Fur Company. Three months later, he left St. Louis with the company’s first and most noted expedition for the Upper Missouri.
The expedition was divided into groups, one of which was led by Pierre Menard. Henry was second-in-command to Menard. In April 1810, they carried out the first organized invasion of the territory around the Three Forks of the Missouri and built a fort. After suffering repeated attacks by the Blackfoot tribe, Menard and a majority of the men returned to St. Louis. However, Henry and 15-20 men continued hunting and exploring.
They left the fort at the Three Forks in June or July, and Henry led the men south, crossing territory never before seen by white men — they ascended the Madison River, crossed the Continental Divide, and descended Henry’s Fork of the Snake River. Finally, near the mouth of the Snake River, they built another fort. They spent the winter of 1810–1811 at the fort, making them the first American trappers to operate west of the Rocky Mountains.
Unfortunately, the expedition was a complete failure, and in the spring of 1811, the party broke up. Henry made his way back to St. Louis, where he returned to his mines.
In 1814, he was appointed as a Major in the local militia under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel William Henry Ashley.
It was early in 1822 when Henry joined Ashley’s project of trapping the mountain regions. This started what became known as the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. On April 15, Henry set out with Ashley up the Missouri River on their first expedition. When they reached the mouth of the Yellowstone River, Ashley returned to bring up a second expedition. Meanwhile, Henry built a fort and directed the winter trapping.
Despite his previous encounters with the Blackfoot, Henry led a group toward the upper waters of the Missouri River in the spring of 1823. They were near the Great Falls when the Blackfoot attacked, forcing them to fall back to the fort at the mouth of the Yellowstone. Upon returning, Henry learned that the Arikaras had attacked Ashley and rushed to his aid. Henry and his men arrived in time for the battle that occurred on August 9, 1823.
A week after the battle with the Arikara, Henry started out to return to the Yellowstone. In the fall, he abandoned the fort and led his men to the mouth of the Bighorn, where they spent the winter of 1823–1824.
In the spring of 1824, Henry followed the Smith-Fitzpatrick expedition through South Pass to Green Valley. Upon arrival, he sent his trappers in various directions. After collecting the furs from all the groups he and Ashley employed, he returned to St. Louis and arrived late in the summer.
- AHC Note — In February 1824, Jedediah Smith, Thomas Fitzpatrick, and others went through the South Pass and traveled to the Green River in present-day Utah. They stayed there for the spring, trapping along the river and its tributaries. The South Pass became an essential part of the Oregon Trail.
Henry decided he was finished with his mountain adventures and returned to his mining operations. He died at his home in Harmony Township.
Henry was married a second time, in 1819, to Mary Fleming, of Sainte Genevieve.
He is described as being tall and slender, and of commanding presence. He played the violin well and enjoyed reading. He was highly respected for his intelligence, enterprise, daring, and honesty.
At one time, he had considerable wealth, but lost it by becoming responsible for the debts of others. Because of his adventurous exploits, he figures largely in the early annals of the frontier, and no trapper of his time, with the possible exception of John Colter, had wider renown as a hero.
