Competitive Struggle: America's Western Fur Trading Posts, 1764-1865

by R. G. Robertson

Competitive Struggle is THE definitive work about this complex and little-understood period in Western history. RG Robertson has taken the confusion out of the development of the major fur companies by his easily-understood flow charts of their mergers and purchases.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1886609195
• ISBN13: 9781886609198
• Release Date: June 1999
• Publisher: Tamarack Books
• Length: 356 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.6" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Great reference book on western fur posts

This is an excellent source book for learning about the location and a little about the history of every fur trading post west of the Mississippi River in operation sometime between 1764-1865. Names of posts are listed alphabetically and keyed to a map by a numbered pennant. Military posts/forts are not included, the book restricting itself to only those places that had dealings in the fur or buffalo robes trade. In the descriptions the author tries to pinpoint the sites' locations as precisely as possible ("at the confluence of such-and-such rivers" or "on the Missouri, X miles or so below where the Yellowstone enters it" might be how they're phrased), though some posts were in operation so briefly (a year or less) that locating them exactly is difficult. A brief summary of the posts' activities is also given. Many posts had alternate names and these other names are also listed, referring the reader to a single reference. Lots of pictures are included, the historical annotations are informative, and the index is full and useful. It's a handy reference book for anyone exploring fur trade posts of the West. Highly recommended.

Book Review for Competitive Struggle

America's western fur trade was a cutthroat business involving fortune seekers, risk takers, scoundrels and honorable men. Regardless of the social position or background of the fur company owners, fort factors, trapping brigade leaders or laborers, the business of the fur trade was, as the title of this books states, a "competitive struggle." Rather than a stale listing of locations and dates of Western fur trading posts, R. G. Robertson has skillfully woven the history and background of the people and the era into his descriptions of fur trading posts between the Mississippi River and the Pacific Ocean. Not only do you get the name, original dates of occupation and location of each fort, but you also get history and background information, giving the reader a more complete understanding of the reason for the fort's existence. The book is laid out extremely well starting with an introduction that leads to three sections in "Part I" explaining the 19th century fur trade, the life of a fur trader and the cycle of trade. "Part II" contains a series of excellent maps that help the reader to locate each fort, then the forts, with descriptions and quality photographs, are listed in alphabetical order. There is a helpful little flag in front of each fort's listing that directs the reader to the appropriate map on which to find the fort's location. Mr. Robertson has done his research well. This book should become a standard reference on Western fur trading outposts for libraries, students and all Western history and fur trade enthusiasts.