| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Beaver |
| Owner | John Jacob Astor |
| Operator | Cornelius Sowle |
| Builder | Eckford & Beebe |
| Laid down | 1803 |
| Launched | 1805 |
| Acquired | 1806 |
| Fate | Broken up around 1850 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | bark |
| Tonnage | 427 tons |
| Length | 107 ft (33 m) |
| Propulsion | Sail, 3 masted |
Beaver was a 427-ton merchant ship owned by John Jacob Astor that was in service from 1806 to the middle of the century.
The Beaver was designed for John Jacob Astor by Eckford & Beebe, with construction completed in 1805. The ship sailed to the Qing Empire in 1806 and was captained by Isaac Chauncey. Upon entering the Bocca Tigris the Beaver was detained by HMS Phaeton. One of the sailors was forcibly impressed onto the Phaeton as he was recognised as a British citizen. [1] After this incident the Beaver entered the port of Guangzhou and "a full load of Teas, Nankeens & China" was purchased. [2] Shortly after leaving the Bocca Tigris another Royal Navy ship, HMS Lion, ordered the ship to stop. Tensions arose when Chauncey refused to allow any further impressment of his crew. [2] However that evening the Beaver was allowed to depart back to New York City. The voyage was a success and brought Astor a sizable profit.
Eventually, the Beaver was planned as an additional supply ship for Astor's developing Pacific Fur Company (PFC). Along with the Tonquin , the Beaver was a critical part of Astor's plans in expanding operations in the Maritime Fur Trade. The ship sailed from New York City to the Pacific Northwest on 10 October 1811 with Cornelius Sowle as its captain.
The additional company employees brought included Ross Cox and Alfred Seton. Fort Astoria was reached on 9 May 1812 after crossing the Columbia Bar. At Astoria news about the destruction of the Tonquin by members of the Tla-o-qui-aht nation was confirmed. [3]
After unloading necessary supplies to the Fort, directives from Astor dictated that the Beaver was to then go north to Russian America to purchase additional furs. [4] The manager of PFC operations, W. Price Hunt, joined Sowle and the crew during this voyage and acted the negotiator with Russian governor Alexander Andreyevich Baranov. The Beaver arrived at New Archangel on 19 August. [5] The cargo was purchased by the Russians amounted to ₽124,000 in value, with payment in seal skins. [6] The purchased furs were located at the Russian-American Company station on Saint Paul Island though bad weather prevented them being loaded until November. [5]
Additional orders from Astor called for the Beaver to return to the Columbia River after completing trade with the Russians. [4] Despite this, Sowle and Hunt found the ship in poor repair and sailed for the Kingdom of Hawaii instead. Hunt was left there as the Beaver went west to the Qing. While at Guangzhou, Sowle learned of the eruption of the War of 1812 and remained at the port for the remainder of the conflict. The Beaver then proceeded to New York City and entered the city harbor on 22 March 1816. [7]
Oregon Country was a large region of the Pacific Northwest of North America that was subject to a long dispute between the United Kingdom and the United States in the early 19th century. The boundaries of the area, which had been created by the Treaty of 1818 without recognizing indigenous claims to the area, consisted of the land north of 42° N latitude, south of 54°40′ N latitude, and west of the Rocky Mountains down to the Pacific Ocean and east to the Continental Divide. Article III of the 1818 treaty gave joint control to both nations for ten years, allowed land to be claimed, and guaranteed free navigation to all mercantile trade. However, both countries disputed the terms of the international treaty. Oregon Country was the American name while the British used Columbia District for the region. Meanwhile, Indigenous nations had lived in the area since time immemorial, though with little legal recognition in the American and British legal systems. Evidence along the Salmon River shows people lived there at least 16,000 years ago, and may have populated the continent after migrating along the Pacific Coast, then following up the Columbia River into the interior.
The Pacific Fur Company (PFC) was an American fur trade venture wholly owned and funded by John Jacob Astor that functioned from 1810 to 1813. It was based in the Pacific Northwest, an area contested over the decades among the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Spanish Empire, the United States of America and the Russian Empire.
The Russian-American Company Under the High Patronage of His Imperial Majesty was a state-sponsored chartered company formed largely on the basis of the United American Company. Emperor Paul I of Russia chartered the company in the Ukase of 1799. It had the mission of establishing new settlements in Russian America, conducting trade with natives, and carrying out an expanded colonization program.
Fort Astoria was the primary fur trading post of John Jacob Astor's Pacific Fur Company (PFC). A maritime contingent of PFC staff was sent on board the Tonquin, while another party traveled overland from St. Louis. This land based group later became known as the Astor Expedition. Built at the entrance of the Columbia River in 1811, Fort Astoria was the first American-owned settlement on the Pacific coast of North America.
Jonathan Thorn was a career officer of the United States Navy in the early 19th century.
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Tonquin was a 290-ton American merchant ship initially operated by Fanning & Coles and later by the Pacific Fur Company (PFC), a subsidiary of the American Fur Company (AFC). Its first commander was Edmund Fanning, who sailed to the Qing Empire for valuable Chinese trade goods in 1807. The vessel was outfitted for another journey to China and then was sold to German-American entrepreneur John Jacob Astor. Included within his intricate plans to assume control over portions of the lucrative North American fur trade, the ship was intended to establish and supply trading outposts on the Pacific Northwest coast. Valuable animal furs purchased and trapped in the region would then be shipped to China, where consumer demand was high for particular pelts.
Albatros was an American-owned ship which brought to W. Price Hunt, partner of the Pacific Fur Company, at its Astoria post, news of the War of 1812.
Fort Okanogan was founded in 1811 on the confluence of the Okanogan and Columbia Rivers as a fur trade outpost. Originally built for John Jacob Astor’s Pacific Fur Company, it was the first American-owned settlement within Washington state, located in what is now Okanogan County. The North West Company, the PFC's primary competitor, purchased its assets and posts in 1813. In 1821 the North West Company was merged into Hudson's Bay Company, which took over operation of Fort Okanogan as part of its Columbia District. The fort was an important stop on the York Factory Express trade route to London via Hudson Bay.
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The Battle of Woody Point was an incident in western Canada in June 1811 involving the Tla-o-qui-aht natives of the Pacific Northwest and the Tonquin, an American merchant ship of the Astor Expedition. The vessel had traveled to Clayoquot Sound off Vancouver Island to trade for furs. Following an argument begun during the bartering, the Tla-o-qui-aht captured the vessel and massacred most of the crew; one remaining sailor then scuttled her by detonating the powder magazine.
Astoria: Or, Enterprise Beyond the Rocky Mountains is a book published in 1836 by Washington Irving.
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