Although the American Fur Company dominated the Upper Missouri fur trade during the middle decades of the nineteenth century, a number of small, independent firms (known as the "Opposition") flourished briefly at this time. From 1858 until 1862, a young Philadelphian, Henry A. Boller, was one of the Opposition traders, serving first as clerk in Clark, Primeau and Company and then as a partner in Larpenteur, Smith and Company. His account of these years, based on his journals, presents a remarkably realistic picture of the daily life of the Indian as he existed more than a century ago and is recognized as the "most authoritative narrative of fur-trading among the plains Indians of the Upper Missouri, for the period" (U.S.iana). When it appeared in 1868, Boller's book was subtitled "Eight Years in the Far West, 1858-1866, Embracing Sketches of Montana and Salt Lake," and included descriptions of a return visit to Fort Berthold, the newly discovered Montana gold fields, and the Mormon capital. These concluding chapters are omitted in the present volume.

Book Information
ISBN 9780803257146
Author Henry A. Boller
Format Paperback
Page Count 372
Imprint University of Nebraska Press
Publisher University of Nebraska Press
Weight(grams) 425g