Ross's adventures supplement that of Gabriel Franchere, the French Canadian clerk whose tale of adventure is published in volume six of this series. Ross left his farm in Canada to become a fur-trader in Astor's project for a Columbia settlement. Once there he studied Indian languages and characteristics and kept journals of his experiences. After the sale of Astoria he entered the service of the North West Company. When the North West Company merged with its rival, the Hudson Bay, he was placed in command of a large brigade for hunting and exploring the country of the Snake Indians-the vast region of the Rocky Mountain divide. In recognition of his services, the Hudson's Bay Company granted him one hundred acres of land in the Red River Valley. Upon his retirement, Ross turned author and published three books detailing the different phases of his life. This volume relates his experiences as a fur-trader for Astor's company. "His alliance with an Okanagan woman, and his constant contact with the natives of the coast, gave him a command of tribal habits, traditions, and beliefs which makes his work a valuable source for the study of Western Indian life." He also brings to light a different side to the fortunes of the Astorian expedition with details not found in Franchere's narratives.
Reuben Gold Thwaites, LL.D.
(1904), 2007, CD-ROM, Graphic Images, Searchable, Adobe v6, PC or Mac, 332 pp.
ISBN: 9780788444449
101-CD4444
