George Drouillard: Hunter and Interpreter for Lewis and Clark and Fur Trader, 1807-1810 (Paperback)

~ (Author), Robert C. Carriker (Introduction)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Skarsten does an excellent job of assembling the patchwork quilt of references to Drouillard in order to fashion a biography of a great frontiersman."-San Francisco Corral (San Francisco Corral )

"In the parlance of our day, Droullard seems to have been Lewis and Clark''s go to man. Somehow or other, he seems to always have been present at the critical junctures of the expedition. . . . Fine book."-Glenn M. Busset, Manhattan Mercury (Glenn M. Busset Manhattan Mercury )

Product Description

George Drouillard's service to the Lewis and Clark Expedition was long obscured by the stronger light cast on the leaders and Sacagawea. Drawing from the various journals of the expedition and from many more obscure documents, letters, and legal records, M. O. Skarsten presents not merely an account of the pursuits in which Drouillard engaged but also an idea of the kind of man he was, as a member of the famous expedition and later as a partner of Manuel Lisa in the fur trade.

The variety of responsibilities assigned to Drouillard during the expedition form an impressive list-recruiting personnel, message bearing, retrieving a deserter, pursuing strayed and stolen horses, trading for horses and canoes, horse gelding, and serving as riverboat helmsman, diplomat to the Indians, and boon companion to Lewis-in addition to the hunting and interpreting for which he was specifically hired. Skarsten also pays detailed attention to Drouillard's fur-trade activities, including his trial for the murder of Bissonette, his attempt to trade with the Blackfeet, and later his death at their hands in 1810.

Robert C. Carriker's introduction to this edition includes information on Skarsten, an evaluation of his treatment of Drouillard, and new information on Drouillard revealed since the book's original publication in 1964.

M. O. Skarsten, a professor emeritus at Pacific University, was a long-time admirer and student of Lewis and Clark affairs. Robert C. Carriker, historian of the fur trade, Lewis and Clark, and Western exploration, is the author of several books, including America Looks West: Lewis and Clark on the Missouri.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Bison Books; Bison Books Ed edition (March 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803293097
• ISBN-13: 978-0803293090
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,345,187 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Respectable bio, October 29, 2007

By	William J Higgins III (Laramie, Wyoming United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

After reading numerous books on the famed Lewis and Clark Expedition, it was a pleasure to gain further understanding of the somewhat mythical and legendary George Drouillard. Not only was he an extremely undaunted individual but also the go-to person for basically every task at hand whether it was with the L & C Expedition or his trapping ventures with Manuel Lisa.
Although the author does speculate on several events in Drouillard's life, he nonetheless gets the point across that Drouillard was right there in the upper echelon of mountain men and first frontiersman of the west.
Good read.