Fur Trade History

For those of you who are E. A. Poe fanatics, among his many stories is one about John Astor, Hudson Bay Co and others most of you know of very well. Since all this wasn't "way back" history for Poe, he probably had an excellent familiarity with the principals involved in the era. Anyone else read Poe?

I'm a fan, but I don't recall that one. Title?

Spence

I'll have to get back with you on that, Spence. My memory isn't what it [strike]used to be[/strike], uuh...never was.

Don't be at any trouble for that title, Hansi, I'll find it.

Who was it who said memory is the thing we forget with...

Spence

The Journal of Julius Rodman ?

Richard/Grumpa

Yes, that's it. I fond an audiobook on YouTube and am listening to it.

Spence

Show off :rotf: :hatsoff:

George said:

Yes, that's it. I found an audiobook on YouTube and am listening to it.

Click to expand...

Well, maybe it is, maybe it isn't. I'm well along into the tale and it has so far not mentioned Astor, HBC, etc., and seems not likely to. Maybe there is another one....?

The history of this tale is interesting. Poe wrote it as a serial novel for a men's magazine, had a tiff with the management after six installments, quit writing for them and refused to finish the novel. It is said the journals of Lewis and Clark were his main source of information for the tale, and anyone familiar with the L&C journals can easily see that. Surprisingly, it's not included in lists of Poe's works. It's not one of his macabre stories.

It is very much in the genre of mountain man traveling up the Missouri, and seems authentic, so much so that when it first came out it fooled people into thinking it was a factual account.

Spence

I've read most of Poe over the decades but hadn't heard of this story probably since it wasn't completed. Turns out there are several e-book versions on Amazon for free or about 99 cents and some paper versions as well. I just downloaded a copy. Haven't started to read it yet but a search showed both Hudson Bay Company and Astor are mentioned.

I'm re-reading "King Solomon's Mines" (again) but may interrupt it for the Poe story which is only about 100 pages. Glad you brought it up.

Jeff

BullRunBear said:

Haven't started to read it yet but a search showed both Hudson Bay Company and Astor are mentioned.

Click to expand...

True. Not 10 minutes after I posted that they weren't, along came HBC, just mentioned in passing. Astor has yet to show, but I still have 20 minutes left of the 2:57 audiobook. :grin:

Spence