First published 1981
De Voto reconstructs the world of 1830s fur traders who ventured into the Rocky Mountains seeking beaver pelts and profit. The author examines how these commercial expeditions operated across the Missouri River territory and beyond. He details the economic forces that drove men into unmapped wilderness and the cultural exchanges that occurred between traders, trappers, and Native American tribes. De Voto demonstrates how this fur trading enterprise established patterns of commerce and settlement that would define the American West. The book reveals how a single decade of frontier business activity created lasting changes across an entire region. Through careful research, De Voto shows readers the economic and social machinery behind westward expansion.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, american, adventure, 19th-century, american-history
Vibes: historical, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: frontier-life, historical-fiction
Setting: Missouri, Rocky-Mountains
Period: 1830s
483 pages · Hardcover · Bonanza