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The Astor Expedition in 1810-1812 was the first overland expedition from St. Louis, Missouri to the mouth of the Columbia River at Astoria, Oregon after Lewis and Clark. The expedition is named for John Jacob Astor who financed it (but did not go on it) as he sought to extend the influence of the American Fur Company via its subsidiary the Pacific Fur Company to the Pacific Coast of the United States. Members of expedition have been called the Astorians. The ocean-based component of the expedition established the first United States permanent settlement on the Pacific Ocean near Astoria, Oregon at Fort Astoria at the mouth of the Columbia River. The overland component (and its members return) resulted in discoveries in Wyoming including the South Pass through the Rocky Mountains route via the Snake River through which hundreds of thousands of settlers were to follow along the Oregon, California and Mormon trails. Although Astor's plan for establishing control of the Northwest established the first permanent United States settlement on the Pacific coast at Astoria, the accomplishment was short lived when the Americans sold out the fort in the face of guns from the RMS Raccoon during the War of 1812. Included in the expedion was British naturalist Thomas Nuttall who was to immortalize his experiences in the book The Genera of North American Plants in 1818 as well as an Manual of the Ornithology of the United States and of Canada in 1832.
Founding of Astoria and The Tonquin massacre Main articles: Jonathan Thorn and Fort Astoria and Astoria, Oregon Astor's plan for establishing a permanent outport in the Northwest involved land and sea. The ship Tonquin commanded by Jonathan Thorn left New York on September 8, 1810, and arrived in April 12, 1811 to establish first American outpost on the Pacific at Fort Astoria modern day Astoria, Oregon which was near the Lewis and Clark Fort Clatsop 1805-1806 winter camp at the mouth of the Columbia River. The Tonquin then sailed to Vancouver Island where the entire crew was killed and the ship blew up when attacked by the Salish. Winter on Nodaway Island Wilson Price Hunt, a St. Louis businessman who had no outback experience led the overland trip the Columbia River. Hunt made repeated tragic mistakes and miscalculations. But those mistakes were to lead to the expedition's (and its return) most famous discoveries. Hunt took the unusual step of starting his expedition just before the winter as he left St. Louis on October 21, 1810. The expedition traveled 450 miles up the Missouri River before setting up winter camp on Nodaway Island at the mouth of Nodaway River in Andrew County, Missouri just north of St. Joseph, Missouri. Hunt's expedition broke the Nodaway winter camp on April 21, 1811. New route to the Northwest On May 26, 1811, Hunt decided not to follow the Lewis and Clark route up the Missouri but to attempt to overland in order to avoid an encounter with the Blackfeet (tribe). However after having problems getting horses he was not able to leave the Arikara in North Dakota until mid-July. Hunt's members were to break up in several groups. After reaching the Snake River, he abandoned his horse thinking it would be easy to float down the Snake to the Columbia. After losing a man in a capsized canoe they soon declared the route was unnavigable and were forced to set out on foot for Astoria arriving on February 15, 1812. Only 45 of the original 60 members of the expedition made it to Astoria. Hunt left Astoria via ship on August 4, 1812. After the British took over Fort Astoria, several members of the expedition (including John Day headed back to St. Louis. In the process they discovered the South Pass. | ||||||||
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