Children of the Fur Trade: Forgotten Metis of the Pacific Northwest [Paperback]

John C. Jackson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1995

During the first half of the 19th century, a unique subculture built around hunting and mobility existed quietly in the Pacific Northwest. Descendants of European or Canadian fathers and Native American mothers, these mixed-blood settlers—called M©tis—were pivotal to the development of the Oregon Country, but have been generally neglected in its written history. Today we know them by the names they left on the land and the waters: The Dalles, Deschutes, Grand Ronde, Portneuf, Payette; and on the peoples who lived there: Pend Oreille, Coeur d’Alene, Nez Perce. John C. Jackson’s Children of the Fur Trade recovers a vital part of Northwest history and gives readers a vivid and memorable portrait of M©tis life at the western edge of North America. This informal account shows the M©tis as explorers and mapmakers, as fur trappers and traders, and as boatmen and travelers in a vanishing landscape. Because of their mixed race, they were forced into the margin between cultures in collision. Often disparaged as half-breeds, they became links between the dispossessed native peoples and the new order of pioneer settlement. Meet the independently minded Jacco Finlay, the beautiful Helene McDonald, fearsome Tom McKay and the bear-fighting Iroquois Ignace Hatchiorauquasha, whose M©tisse wife, Madame Gray, charmed lonely fur traders. Here is the rawhide knot of the mountain men who brought their Indian wives to suffer the censure of missionaries while building a community where their mixed-blood children were no longer welcome. A riveting glimpse into a unique heritage, illustrated with historic maps, drawings, and photographs, this book will interest and inform both the scholar and the general reader.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

JOHN C. JACKSON is the author of numerous books on Western history, including Shadow on the Tetons: David E. Jackson and the Claiming of the American West, The Piikani Blackfeet: A Culture Under Siege, and Jemmy Jock Bird: Marginal Man on the Blackfoot Frontier. Children of the Fur Trade was first published by Mountain Press in 1993. Jackson lives in Olympia, Washington. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 326 pages
• Publisher: Mountain Pr (October 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0878423397
• ISBN-13: 978-0878423392
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,569,090 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Part beaver, part beaver tale, John C. Jackson has been trying to document the mythic fur trade for over fifty years because the real thing is more compelling than the fiction. His first book on David E. Jackson, concerning one of the founders of the Rocky Mountain hunt languishes out of print as does The Piikani Blackfeet but Oregon State press put the Children of the Fur Trade back on the shelf. Meriwether Lewis is going into a second printing with Prometheus Press which also has the next study, By Honor and Right: How One Man Boldly Defined the Destiny of a Nation in press with a fall publication. A major narrative history of "The North West Company Columbia Adventure" is presently being completed and will provide new insights into a quarter century of fur trade activities on the Pacific Slope.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Found Heritage Through Review, April 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Children of the Fur Trade: Forgotten Metis of the Pacific Northwest (Paperback)

From the book, I found out that the Metis of the Pacific Northwest formed many communities in that area. My great-grandparents were born in Walla Walla, WA. and we were told that they were French- Canadian and "Black Irish". I read that in Walla Walla, is where they founded communities and that they hid there ancestry and called themselves French-Canadian. So, on reading this, I found out that the missing part to my full heritage was actually a mixture of French and Native American Indian. I owe a great gratitude to Mr. Jackson. Thank-you!!! Sean

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!, February 1, 2000

By 

Troy Felsman (Arlee, MT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Children of the Fur Trade: Forgotten Metis of the Pacific Northwest (Paperback)

Mr. Jackson did excellent research for this book. I have numerous ancestors mentioned in the book and even had a picture of one that I had never seen before. Anyone interested in the history of the Western Mt, Idaho and Eastern WA area, will need to read this book. I hope that the Author publishes more material from his research.