Columbia River Fishing and Trading Company records

Collection

Identifier: Mss 938

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of the records of the Columbia River Fishing and Trading Company, a firm organized in 1834 by Nathaniel J. Wyeth. These records include three ledgers: a ledger containing financial records and Wyeth's instructions to Robert Evans, agent in charge, 1834-1837; a financial journal for transactions made from 1834-1835; and a financial journal including Joseph Thing's accounts of the sale of Fort Hall to the Hudson's Bay Company, 1834-1839. Other materials consist of a letter book with handwritten copies of letters, agreements, and instructions relating to the company's formation and operation and the establishment of Fort Hall; and loose papers. Principal correspondents in the collection include Nathaniel J. Wyeth, Joseph Thing, James L. Lambert, and the firm Tucker & Williams. The collection also includes microfilm copies of the ledgers and the letter book.

Dates

Creation: 1833-1839

Creator

Columbia River Fishing and Trading Company (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.

Administrative History

Following his expedition to the Oregon Territory in 1832, Nathaniel J. Wyeth (1802-1856) made an agreement with the Boston, Massachusetts firm Tucker & Williams to establish the Columbia River Fishing and Trading Company. The company's intended purpose was fishing and selling salmon, as well as trading goods, including furs. In 1834, Wyeth established Fort Hall near the junction of the Portneuf and Snake rivers in what would later become Idaho. The agent in charge was initially Robert Evans, but Wyeth later replaced him with Joseph Thing. The enterprise failed, and Wyeth returned to the eastern United States in 1836, giving Thing the authority to sell Fort Hall and its accoutrements to the Hudson's Bay Company. In the winter of 1837-1838, Hudson's Bay Company agent Thomas McKay was placed in charge of Fort Hall, which served as a Hudson's Bay Company post before being abandoned in the 1850s. The fort was demolished by a flood in 1862.

Sources: "Nathaniel Wyeth's Fort Hall," by Richard G. Beidleman, Oregon Historical Quarterly, Volume 58, No. 3 (September 1957), pages 196-250; "'The Leviathan of the North': American Perceptions of the Hudson's Bay Company, 1816-1846," by William R. Swagerty, Oregon Historical Quarterly, Volume 104 (Winter 2003), pages 478-517; entries for "Fort Hall" and "Wyeth, Nathaniel Jarvis" in Dictionary of Oregon History, 2nd edition, 1989, edited by Howard McKinley Corning, pages 88 and 275.

Extent

1.2 Cubic Feet (2 folders in shared box; 3 flat boxes (13x16); 2 microfilm reels)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Records of the Columbia River Fishing and Trading Company, consisting of ledgers, a letter book, and loose papers. The firm was established by Nathaniel J. Wyeth (1802-1856) and operated from Fort Hall near the near the junction of the Portneuf and Snake rivers in what would later become Idaho. The enterprise was unsuccessful, and Fort Hall was sold to the Hudson's Bay Company in 1837.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Due to fragility, letter book requires special handling to view.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Letter book gift of Edward C. Sherman, December 1981 (Lib. Acc. 15833). Other materials most likely acquired in the late 19th or early 20th century.

Existence and Location of Copies

Portions of the collection were published in "Nathaniel Wyeth's Fort Hall," by Richard G. Beidleman, Oregon Historical Quarterly, Volume 58, No. 3 (September 1957), pages 196-250.

Existence and Location of Copies

The letter book was published as "The letter book of Henry Hall: an edited version with an introduction," by Bradford R. Cole (master's thesis, Utah State University, 1986). A copy of the thesis is held at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library, under call number 338.3 C689L.

Related Materials

Other materials at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library relating to the Columbia River Fishing and Trading Company include the Nathaniel J. Wyeth collection, Mss 1198; and a vertical file, Biography - Wyeth, Nathaniel Jarvis.

Processing Information

Collection was initially processed prior to 2007 and reprocessed in 2025 by Jeffrey A. Hayes. Reprocessing consisted of rehousing materials for preservation purposes. Collection includes material previously designated Mss 938-1.