Astoria

Overview

John Jacob Astor founded Astoria in the Pacific Northwest to expand the American fur trade globally, using information from the Lewis and Clark Expedition and traders from the North West Company. He organized a Sea Expedition and an Overland Expedition to establish the trading post, but the War of 1812 forced its sale to the North West Company. Although Astor regained control after the war, declining European demand and competition from Fort Vancouver led to Astoria’s absorption into the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1821.

Essential Facts

• Also Known As: Fort Astoria, Fort George.
• Established: 1811.
• Location: Astoria, Oregon.
• Key People: John Jacob Astor, Wilson Price Hunt, Alexander McKay, Duncan McDougal, David Stuart, and Robert Stuart.
• Part of: Western Fur Trade, Westward Expansion, Manifest Destiny.

Key Details

• Merchant John Jacob Astor sought to create a worldwide network for the Fur Trade.
• He organized the American Fur Company in 1808 and the Pacific Fur Company in 1810.
• Astor recruited veteran traders from the North West Company, including Alexander McKay, to assist in running his operations.
• He sent two expeditions, one by land and one by sea, to the West Coast to establish a trading post at the mouth of the Columbia River.
  • The Sea Expedition sailed on the Tonquin and arrived at the Columbia River in March 1811. 
  • The Overland Expedition was led by Wilson Price Hunt and arrived in February 1812.
• Collectively, the merchants and trappers who established Fort Astoria are known as “Astorians.”
• On the return trip to St. Louis, Robert Stuart led a group of Astorians through a wide gap in the Rocky Mountains known as the “South Pass,” which became a key part of the Oregon Trail.
• The decline of the Fur Trade during the War of 1812 led to the sale of Astoria to the North West Company in October 1813.
• A British warship took control of Fort Astoria on December 12, 1813, renaming it Fort George.
• The Treaty of Ghent (October 1814) ended the War of 1812 and restored Fort Astoria to the United States.
• Following the war, demand for fur in Europe declined, further reducing the profitability of the Fur Trade.
• Fort Vancouver replaced Astoria as the regional trade hub.
• Astoria was absorbed into the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1821.

Significance

Astoria, or Fort Astoria, is important to American History because of the role it played in the Western Fur Trade and Manifest Destiny. Its location at the mouth of the Columbia River gave the United States control over a strategic inland waterway, allowing the American Fur Company and its subsidiaries to compete with British and Canadian fur companies. 

Historical Notes

Astor’s Fur Trade Ambitions

John Jacob Astor sought to transform the Fur Trade into a global enterprise that advanced both his business interests and U.S. strategic goals, competing with British and Canadian rivals in the Pacific Northwest while aiming to establish trade links with China.

Furs were plentiful in the northern and western regions of North America, which were dominated by waterways and mountain ranges. Astor intended to utilize his wealth and political connections to dominate the industry, utilizing ships to transport furs to various global markets, particularly China.

After the Louisiana Purchase (1803), tensions between the United States and Britain increased, eventually leading the the War of 1812. One of the issues between the two nations was control of the Pacific Northwest.

• Astor entered the Fur Trade in 1808 when he established the American Fur Company.
• Astor’s fur trade ventures aligned with America’s strategic interests.
• The Pacific Northwest became a major area of competition.
• He wanted to compete with the North West Company and the Hudson’s Bay Company, which both operated in the region.
• Astor also wanted to establish trade with China from the Pacific Northwest.

Astor’s plans were also aligned with U.S. political interests, as politicians looked to compete with British and Canadian interests in the Fur Trade and increase the nation’s trade with China.

In 1810, he founded the Pacific Fur Company to expand his trade into the Pacific Region. His partners in this company were Alexander McKay, Duncan McDougal, Donald McKenzie, and Wilson Hunt Price.

• McKay, McDougal, and McKenzie were all employees of the North West Company.
• After establishing the Pacific Fur Company, Astor planned to establish a trading post in the region.

AHC Notes

• John Jacob Astor (1763–1848) — Astor was a German immigrant who came to America and became the wealthiest man in the nation. He was a shrewd and successful businessman, primarily involved in real estate and the fur trade. His involvement in the Oregon Territory contributed to the fulfillment of America’s Manifest Destiny.
• American Fur Company — The American Fur Company was founded by John Jacob Astor in 1808. It became the first business monopoly in the United States, dominating as much as 90% of the Fur Trade during the first half of the 1800s. It is widely recognized as the first American monopoly.
• War of 1812 (1812–1815) — The War of 1812 was fought between the United States and Great Britain from 1812 to 1815. Land battles took place in North America while sea battles occurred on North American lakes, in the English Channel, and on the Atlantic Ocean. Although the outcome of the war is considered to be a stalemate, it led to a wave of patriotism in the United States and the beginning of the “Era of Good Feelings.”

Lewis and Clark’s Influence

Astor understood that the Pacific Coast offered him a more direct, less expensive route to China than the traditional routes used by merchants on the East Coast. Astor developed his plan using information gathered from the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804–1806) and his Canadian associates.

• Lewis and Clark traveled through some of the richest fur-bearing regions of North America on their way to the Pacific Coast.
• Their journey showed that furs could be collected and carried to the Pacific Coast.
• From the Pacific Coast, furs could be shipped to China.

At the time, Astor and his rivals shipped furs from the East Coast. Shipping from the Pacific Coast was much less expensive than shipping from the East Coast.

• Astor received more information from associates working for the North West Company, who were in competition with the Hudson’s Bay Company.

Astor’s Dual Expeditions to Oregon

In 1810, Astor sent two expeditions to Oregon, recruiting experienced fur traders like Alexander McKay, but the sea party’s arrival at the Columbia River in 1811 ended in disaster when tensions with local Indians led to the destruction of the Tonquin and the loss of its crew.

• Astor organized two parties to travel to Oregon, one traveling overland and one by sea, to establish a trading post.
• He hired experienced fur traders and explorers, mainly from the North West Company, along with veteran French-Canadian and American independent trappers.

Alexander McKay, a member of Alexander Mackenzie’s 1793 Pacific Coast expedition, was the most important recruit. Astor offered McKay and other North West Company recruits shares in his business.

• AHC Note — The North West Company was initially established in 1787 by a group of independent merchants working in the Fur Trade in the Great Lakes Region and Upper Canada. Alexander Mackenzie was one of the partners. In 1793, he led an exploration that traveled to the Pacific Coast.

The Sea Expedition

On September 6, 1810, the Sea Expedition left New York City with 33 men on the ship Tonquin. The ship sailed south to Cape Horn, at the southern tip of South America, then turned northward and sailed to the Oregon coast.

• The Sea Expedition was responsible for carrying the people and supplies needed to build the trading post.
• Four of the passengers were Alexander McKay, Duncan McDougal, David Stuart, and his nephew, Robert Stuart.
• Jonathan Thorn, the Captain of the Tonquin, was a strict disciplinarian who clashed with Astor’s men during the journey.
• The ship arrived at the Columbia River on March 25, 1811, and Astor’s started laying out Fort Astoria.

Soon after, the Tonquin sailed to Vancouver Island. While there, Thorn provoked local Native American Indians, leading to hostilities. The Tonquin was destroyed, and most of the crew members were killed.

• Thorn was an officer in the U.S. Navy, on leave.
• He was a veteran of the Barbary Wars (1801–1816).

AHC Notes

• Columbia River — A major waterway in the Pacific Northwest that flows about 1,200 miles from southeast British Columbia to the Pacific Ocean, serving as a historic center for Native American Indian fisheries, European exploration, the Fur Trade, and U.S. Westward Expansion.

The Overland Expedition

Led by Wilson Price Hunt, the Overland Expedition suffered through hardships and delays but reached Fort Astoria in February 1812, building the fort and bringing Astor’s ambitious $200,000 fur trade plan close to realization.

• The Overland Expedition followed the path of Lewis and Clark and identified places where more trading posts could be established.
• Hunt led a party of 64 men, leaving St. Louis on April 21, 1811.
• The expedition faced desertions, Indian attacks, and delays due to following the wrong trails.
• The party eventually split into smaller groups, and most arrived at Fort Astoria by February 15, 1812.

The Overland Astorians quickly completed the fort. By this time, Astor had invested roughly $200,000 in the venture, but his plan was nearly complete.

War Ends Astor’s Astoria Venture

Astor’s business venture collapsed during the War of 1812 when most employees sided with Canada, leading Duncan McDougall to sell Astoria to the North West Company in October 1813. Soon after, a British warship arrived, seized control, and renamed it Fort George.

• Astor’s plan appeared successful until the War of 1812 started.
• Most of Astor’s employees were Canadian and did not support the U.S. in the war.
• In October 1813, Duncan McDougall, Astor’s representative, sold Astoria to the North West Company for $58,000, a small fraction of Astor’s total investment.
• A British warship arrived at the Columbia River within a month of the sale.
• On December 12, 1813, the ship’s captain took control of the fort.
• The British renamed the fort Fort George to honor King George III.

Treaty of Ghent and Astor’s Legal Victory

After the Treaty of Ghent ended the War of 1812, Astor sued for control of Fort Astoria, and an international tribunal ultimately ruled in his favor.

• The Treaty of Ghent required property to be restored to its prewar condition.
• Astor sued to recover Fort Astoria, claiming the sale was forced.
• He argued the sale price was only a small fraction of his original investment.
• An international tribunal restored his ownership.

AHC Notes

• Treaty of Ghent (December 24, 1814) — An agreement between the United States and Britain that ended the War of 1812. It restored pre-war conditions, resolved some of the causes of the conflict, and established lasting peace while improving relations and opening the Great Lakes Region to settlement.

Decline of Astoria’s Role in the Fur Trade

Although Astor regained Astoria, the postwar economic decline in Europe and the rise of Fort Vancouver led Astor to exit the business.

• Astor regained control of his Pacific post, but the fur trade was undergoing significant changes.
• The French Revolutionary Wars, the War of 1812, and other conflicts had left much of Europe impoverished.
• Wealthy European merchants and nobility, the main buyers of American furs, had less money to spend.
• Astoria had already been replaced as the primary trading post in the Pacific Northwest by Fort Vancouver, the Hudson’s Bay Company’s headquarters.
• In 1821, Astoria was absorbed into the Hudson’s Bay Company.

AHC Notes

• French Revolutionary Wars (1792–1802) — A series of conflicts that spread France’s Revolutionary Ideals across Europe. They ultimately led to French territorial expansion, the rise of Napoleon, and the eventual end of the French Revolution. These wars affected the United States and contributed to the Haitian Revolution, the French Neutrality Crisis, and the outbreak of the Quasi-War.

Legacy

• Astoria was a strategically important location for the Western Fur Trade, establishing an American presence in the Pacific Northwest.
• Its location at the mouth of the Columbia River increased its importance because the river was a major inland waterway from the West Coast.