Re: MtMan-List: Re: Whiskey in the Fur Trade

[mxhbc@TTACS.TTU.EDU (Henry B. Crawford)]

>Need some help on sources.
>
>Am doing a paper (who knows where it will end up going), the focus of which is
>Turley's Mill, north of Taos and the home of Taos Lightning.  Exported by
>Turley since 1831 it found its way to many forts and rondys. Of course
>Turley's Mill was destroyed in 1847 during the Taos Rebellion where a number
>of mountain men where either murdered or otherwise involved.  Have some new
>information about the mill and would like to place it not only in context with
>the Taos Rebellion but also whiskey in the fur trade.
>
>Anyone know of articles that have been done on whiskey in the fur trade and
>where they might be found?

There is a good book called _Whiskey Peddler: John Healy, North Frontier
Trader_, by William R. Hunt (1993), which deals in part with his role in
the whiskey trade between Montana and Canada.  It wasn't during the
Rendezvous era, but in the 1860s, after HBC gave up Rupert's Lands in
Alberta, and left a vaccuum which the Canadian government was unable to
fill until the (1874) creation of the Northwest Mounted Police.  Until that
time, the whiskey trade was wide open and unregulated.  American officials
squelched the trade which had operated out of Fort Benton, but traders
simply moved to Alberta and established Fort Hamilton (the precursor to the
city of Calgary) and inticed trading Indians to travel up the Whoop Up
Trail to trade furs, robes, etc for goods and whiskey (Fort Hamilton was
also called Fort Whoop Up).  It is a fascinating story of commerce,
diplomacy, and good old adventure.  The book is well written and well
illustrated with photos and maps.  The publisher is Mountain Press
Publishing, out of Missoula.

Worth the 12.00 price, although I found mine at Half-Price Books.

Cheers,
HBC

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Henry B. Crawford        Curator of History
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*************    So Long, Harry    **************