Book Review of Astoria

In sailing up and down the Columbia River I always wondered what the context was for the European settlements along the river.  Because of work, I have been traveling a great deal, for example New York City one week followed by a trip to India for the following week.  Last week while going through the Portland Airport I ran across Peter Stark’s book entitled Astoria: Astor and Jeffrson’s Lost Pacific Empire.

Stark begins with John Jacob Astor at the age of 21 climbing off a passenger ship in 1784 onto the Chesapeake Bay. From then until 1808 Astor made his fortune in New York and was dead set on creating a legacy of a new world on the West Coast of the continent.  Astor had several meetings with Jefferson both of who see the West Coast as a paradise that could be a new country or at least part of America.  The English had other claims with the mapping and claims of Captain James Cook voyages.  In September 1810 two parties, one overland and one by sea set out toward the mouth of the Columbia River, to set up a series fur trading outposts from the mouth inward up river.  The furs of beaver, mink and others would be shipped to Canton China and tea brought back to New York from China.  For a $20,000 investment Astor would make $400,000 in 1810 dollars. 

Astor hires Captain Jonathan Thorn to be the ship’s master of  the  sailing bark Tonquin.  Astor also offers “shares” to others to join the venture, putting Wilson Price Hunt in charge and Duncan McDougall as second in command. McDougall went aboard the Tonquin and arrived in March 1811 into Astoria. They had sailed for over one year, from New York, around Cape Horn to Hawaii where they ran into a storm forcing them to dismast in heavy seas.   They made it back to Hawaii, picking up several Hawaiian watermen to join their venture, and to repair the ship.  The entire way McDougall and the other Scottish partners take great enjoyment in badgering Captain Thorn.  Most of the badgering leads to Thorn breaking out in fits of rage which delights the scots to no end. 

Once in Astoria the McDougall establishes himself as a king like figure on land establishing a “tent on state” on the Oregon side of the Columbia.    He kept this position running until the arrival of Hunt in the spring of 1812. 

Meanwhile, fed-up with McDougall, Captain Thorn weights anchor in June 1811 and sails toward Vancouver Island to trade furs with the Clayoquot tribes.  The Clayoquot being savvy in the way of trading fail to accept Thorn terms.  Thorn after being tormented by the scots was in no mood to deal with the Clayoquot.  He threatens them leaving to a shooting.  The shooting outrages the Clayoquot which storm the ship leaving to fights that leaves all but 7 dead on the ship.  The next day the Clayoquot storm the ship once more, leading one of the Europeans to ignite the power keg blowning up the ship.  Only one member of the party remained alive and over 200 Clayquot blown to bits.   Reportedly bodies washed upon shores for days.

After not hearing from Thorn the next spring Hunt jumps on another ship the Beaver and heads offshore leaving McDougall in charge.  Astor hears of the Toquin later and fears the supply will run low and his venture in the west will be acquired by the British as part of the oncoming war of 1812.

Astor goes back to the President now Madison and demands ships to protect Astoria from the English.  His request, despite funding a large part of the war falls on deaf ears.  Astor discouraged that the new US government won’t protect his investment, he purchases two gunships the Lark and the Forester.  The Lark was recognized to be a fast moving stealthy gunship, taking the same route as the Toquin to resupply in Hawaii.  The Lark sinks there in Hawaii.  Meanwhile the British own Western Trading Company asserts it’s claim on Astoria to McDougall.  McDougall being a Scotsman didn’t want to be hung for treason and sells out to the English company for pennies on the dollar.  The Forester being a heavier ship sails to Hawaii where the ships crew hear the fate of those that have gone on before them and mutiny, taking over the ship, never going to Astoria.

Of the 140 men that left for Astoria, 61 died in the total venture.  Hunt became the Postmaster of St. Louis, McDougall was killed working for the North West Trading Company. In 2006 the Clayquot Nation was reduced to 174 people.  In that year the anchor of the  Toquin was located. Astor lived long enough to see the Oregon Country become a US territory in 1848.  The foundation of the territory lends itself to the creation of the famed Oregon Trail, a path that the Astorians fled back toward the US east coast.  Astor died as the richest man in the US, his fortune amounting to $110 Billion in today’s USD.

Stark tells a wonderful story combining venture capitalist, their influence on the government officials, adventures in sailing, adventures in overland exploration, and an entire course in how not to manage a startup.  For the three days I travelled on the plane I had a hard time putting the book down. Definitely a recommended read for anyone interested in history, or sailing, venture capital, or management structure.