Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Columbia River Fishing and Trading Company records, 1833-1839
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Columbia River Fishing and Trading Company
- Title
- Columbia River Fishing and Trading Company records
- Dates
- 1833-1839 (inclusive)18331839
- Quantity
- 1.2 cubic feet, (2 folders in shared box; 3 flat boxes (13x16); 2 microfilm reels)
- Collection Number
- Mss 938
- Summary
- Records of the Columbia River Fishing and Trading Company, consisting of ledgers, a letter book, and loose papers. The firm was established by Nathaniel J. Wyeth (1802-1856) and operated from Fort Hall near the near the junction of the Portneuf and Snake rivers in what would later become Idaho. The enterprise was unsuccessful, and Fort Hall was sold to the Hudson's Bay Company in 1837.
- Repository
-
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org - Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open for research.
- Languages
- English
Historical NoteReturn to Top
Following his expedition to the Oregon Territory in 1832, Nathaniel J. Wyeth (1802-1856) made an agreement with the Boston, Massachusetts firm Tucker & Williams to establish the Columbia River Fishing and Trading Company. The company's intended purpose was fishing and selling salmon, as well as trading goods, including furs. In 1834, Wyeth established Fort Hall near the junction of the Portneuf and Snake rivers in what would later become Idaho. The agent in charge was initially Robert Evans, but Wyeth later replaced him with Joseph Thing. The enterprise failed, and Wyeth returned to the eastern United States in 1836, giving Thing the authority to sell Fort Hall and its accoutrements to the Hudson's Bay Company. In the winter of 1837-1838, Hudson's Bay Company agent Thomas McKay was placed in charge of Fort Hall, which served as a Hudson's Bay Company post before being abandoned in the 1850s. The fort was demolished by a flood in 1862.
Sources: "Nathaniel Wyeth's Fort Hall," by Richard G. Beidleman, Oregon Historical Quarterly, Volume 58, No. 3 (September 1957), pages 196-250; "'The Leviathan of the North': American Perceptions of the Hudson's Bay Company, 1816-1846," by William R. Swagerty, Oregon Historical Quarterly, Volume 104 (Winter 2003), pages 478-517; entries for "Fort Hall" and "Wyeth, Nathaniel Jarvis" in Dictionary of Oregon History, 2nd edition, 1989, edited by Howard McKinley Corning, pages 88 and 275.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The collection consists of the records of the Columbia River Fishing and Trading Company, a firm organized in 1834 by Nathaniel J. Wyeth. These records include three ledgers: a ledger containing financial records and Wyeth's instructions to Robert Evans, agent in charge, 1834-1837; a financial journal for transactions made from 1834-1835; and a financial journal including Joseph Thing's accounts of the sale of Fort Hall to the Hudson's Bay Company, 1834-1839. Other materials consist of a letter book with handwritten copies of letters, agreements, and instructions relating to the company's formation and operation and the establishment of Fort Hall; and loose papers. Principal correspondents in the collection include Nathaniel J. Wyeth, Joseph Thing, James L. Lambert, and the firm Tucker & Williams. The collection also includes microfilm copies of the ledgers and the letter book.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Alternative Forms Available
Portions of the collection were published in "Nathaniel Wyeth's Fort Hall," by Richard G. Beidleman, Oregon Historical Quarterly, Volume 58, No. 3 (September 1957), pages 196-250.
Alternative Forms Available
The letter book was published as "The letter book of Henry Hall: an edited version with an introduction," by Bradford R. Cole (master's thesis, Utah State University, 1986). A copy of the thesis is held at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library, under call number 338.3 C689L.
Preferred Citation
Columbia River Fishing and Trading Company records, Mss 938, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Restrictions on Use
The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Acquisition Information
Letter book gift of Edward C. Sherman, December 1981 (Lib. Acc. 15833). Other materials most likely acquired in the late 19th or early 20th century.
Preservation Note
Due to fragility, letter book requires special handling to view.
Processing Note
Collection was initially processed prior to 2007 and reprocessed in 2025 by Jeffrey A. Hayes. Reprocessing consisted of rehousing materials for preservation purposes. Collection includes material previously designated Mss 938-1.
Related Materials
Other materials at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library relating to the Columbia River Fishing and Trading Company include the Nathaniel J. Wyeth collection, Mss 1198; and a vertical file, Biography - Wyeth, Nathaniel Jarvis.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Folder | ||
| 1 | Loose papers | 1836-1839 |
| 2 | Letter book | 1833-1837 |
| Reel | ||
| 2 | Letter book (microfilm copy) | 1833-1837 |
| Box | ||
| 1 | Ledger with instructions to Robert Evans and financial records | 1834 July 31-1837 July 21 |
| 2 | Financial journal | 1834 August 4-1835 December 31 |
| 3 | Financial journal | 1834 December 14-1839 April 10 |
| Reel | ||
| 1 | Ledger and financial journals (microfilm copy) | 1834-1839 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Business enterprises--Northwest, Pacific--19th century
- Fur trade--Northwest, Pacific--19th century
- Salmon fisheries--Northwest, Pacific
Personal Names
- Lambert, James L., active 1834--Correspondence
- Thing, Joseph, active 1834-1839--Correspondence
- Wyeth, Nathaniel J. (Nathaniel Jarvis), 1802-1856--Correspondence
Corporate Names
- Columbia River Fishing and Trading Company--Records and correspondence
- Tucker & Williams (Boston, Mass.)--Records and correspondence
Geographical Names
- Fort Hall (Idaho : Fort)
Form or Genre Terms
- correspondence
- ledgers (account books)
- letter books
