Washington Irving

Astoria Annotated Washington Irving

About BookAstoria by Washington Irving examines the history of the Rocky Mountain Fur trade with a look at John Jacob Astor's American Fur Trade company. In 1811 several American investors built a fort at the mouth area of the Columbia River, called Fort Astoria honoring its financier, John Jacob Astor. Envisioned as the spur of the fur-trading empire, by 1813 the task was a business failing and the fort was surrendered to the United Kingdom. However, in its brief life, Astoria rendered incalculable advantages to public knowledge of the fantastic Northwest. The exploration of trade routes, the explanation of varied Indian tribes and their traditions, and an American state on the Northwest coastline were among a lot of its legacies.