A map drawn in 1802 based on information gained in St. Louis about the vast lands outward from the city in all directions., Travels through the two Louisianas, and among the savage nations of the Missouri ; also, in the United States, along the Ohio, and the adjacent provinces, in 1801, 1802, & 1803. With a sketch of the manners, customs, character, and the civil and religious ceremonies of the people of those countries / By M. Perrin du Lac. Translated from the French.
Each entry in this notebook is headed by the native name of the individual tribesman involved, and lists each item traded, against which are shown symbols (mostly "0" or "1") each of which must indicate a specific number of pelts received in exchange. Most of the items traded are guns, ammunition, knives, beaver traps, tobacco, tomahawks and "half axes." Some rough penciled notes in a different hand towards the end of the little book, which are not attached to the name of any particular hunter, make a short list in French of various animals. Most likely a French-Canadian who worked with Crooks.
Image from Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper from June 17, 1882. The image depicts a crowd gathered to see the entertaining contents of a tent. The image is based on a sketch by C. Upham.
Ramsay Crooks had immigrated into Canada from Scotland in 1803 but soon moved to Northern Michigan as clerk to a fur trader named Robert Dickson. In 1810 he was persuaded by Wilson Price Hunt, who was John Jacob Astor's agent in St. Louis, to join Astor's projected overland expedition to the mouth of the Columbia River. Prior to that, perhaps during the short period when he was in an unsuccessful partnership with Robert McClellan, he was trading on the Upper Missouri.
Each entry in this notebook is headed by the native name of the individual tribesman involved, and lists each item traded, against which are shown symbols (mostly "0" or "1") each of which must indicate a specific number of pelts received in exchange. Most of the items traded are guns, ammunition, knives, beaver traps, tobacco, tomahawks and "half axes." Some rough penciled notes in a different hand towards the end of the little book, which are not attached to the name of any particular hunter, make a short list in French of various animals. Most likely a French-Canadian who worked with Crooks.
Clear transparent decanter with profile picture of George Washington with the title "The Father of his Country" on one side. The other side features a profile picture of General Taylor and reads " General Taylor Never Surrenders." Produced by Dyottville Glass works (Philadelphia, PA)
Manuscript map by fur trader Charles Barbeau. The map illustrates the Illinois Country surrounding the Mississippi River and Kaskaskia River around 1803-1804. The map highlights settlements in the area at the time, including “Fort L’Kentucky” and three English trading posts. Travel times are also noted between various points, and an illustration of an animal appears at the bottom of the page. The name Isaac Hill is also mentioned, possibly referring to the man President Thomas Jefferson commissioned to survey the Illinois Territory around 1808.
The verso lists an inventory of furs, livestock, hunting rifles, and other goods in addition to a number of enslaved people. Both the map and inventory are written in French.