Customer Reviews

Fur Trade on the Upper Missouri, 1840-1865

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As has been pointed out, one of this book's value is that it deals with the later period of the fur trade. Fur trade volumes can cover the years of the 18th century right up to the late 1830s, but not many books carry forward the story to as late as 1865, no matter what area.

Two accounts of the American fur trade that many readers will still consider as chief among all the books are THE AMERICAN FUR TRADE OF THE FAR WEST by CHITTENDEN and THE FUR TRADE by Phillip's. Neither of these fairly standard works carry the discussion beyond the year 1840. The main point of Sunder is that after 1840 the fur trade 'indelibly marked the economic, political, religious, literary, and scientific life of the Upper Missouri Valley ... (reaching) out from the hunting grounds of the Sioux, Assiniboins, and Blackfeet to touch the nation and the world'.

This is John Sunder's framework in this 1965 volume from The University of Oklahoma Press: Norman. And in the near 300 pages that follow he states his case to make that point. The book from which this review follows is my hardcover copy, 1st printing, 1965. As far as I know, this book has been available in print, either in hardcover or trade, since the very day it was printed. If you have any interest in the Upper Missouri fur trade then this is a book you need to see.

Though I have many books of the fur trade resting on my home library shelves, I take great joy that this one long ago found a resting place there. Even if you have to obtain a previous owned copy from a dealer, it is advised that be done. Amazon is getting low on their stock and I don't know that Oklahoma still has this book in its current line for sale.

Semper Fi.