Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-10-23


somed in the brain OF John Jacob Aston
plan OF development so magnificent
in scope that il fired the imagination
Of Thomas jefferson until he got to
think Of II as his own idea Time has
not dimmed but rather mellowed its
splendOr, for it gave to the world one
OF the tragedies that never will be for
gotten and that marks a rugged chap
ter in American history. by the camp
fires in the far northwest and in the
Canadian wilds the story Of the Tom
quin has been told and retold until il
IS a part Of the folk lore of the people
Of the forest and the plain.
Too bad that such a brilliant under
taking did not have a successful ter
mination. but even If Il did not fulhl
the expectations of its originator IL
brought to the name OF Astor a fame
that is enduring Measured by the con-
ditions OF century ago and those OF
today. the project Of Astor far sur
passes those Of any latter-day captain
of trade. transportation or finance He
planned a real winning of the west.
a peaceful conquest of a great region
to which the nations title was doubt
ful, the establishment OF q long chain
OF trading stations that would blaze
the way for civilized men and open tine
door OF opportunity for countless mil
lions. and beyond the west itself he
reached out to give to America thu
trade Of China and practically the con-
troll Of the Pacific To do Il all he
asked no aid. Out Of his purse he drew
the money 10 pay the cost.
THE IMMIGRANT FROM WAL
DORF.
John Jacob Astor had come TO the
United States I'm t7s3, an immigrant
from Waldorf, a village on the Rhine.
lie expected 10 become a piano sales
man, but while the ship that brought
him over was icebound IN the Chesa-
peake he heard enough from one OF his
fellow passengers to convince him that
in this country there were FAR more
possibilities for him as a dealer in furs
than as a dealer in musical instru-
ments. When he got to New York he
started in at once as a buyer of pelts.
At that time the business was in sad
disorder. In earlier days the French
had controlled the trade. Through
Canada, the Ohio valley. the Great
lakes and Mississippi the French trap
pers ranged, and their product found its
way TO Montreal. When the English
drove the French from Canada and
a new system OF trade came with a
new order OF men, the trappers found II
difficult TO adjust themselves 10 alter
ed conditions Hardly had affairs right
cd themselves and the careless. spend
thrift but hardy French voyageurs be
come accustomed 10 their new masters
than the war OF the Revolution came
on. and al It's close the business was ia
the same state OF disorder as after the
French war. In the northern part OF
Canada the Hudson Bay company was
IN control, but II was not aggressive
that fipua Far Hfrufnaua saHu q
done by the Independent merchants of
Montreal. who, a little later. merged
their interests. formed the powerful
Northwest company and controlled lhe
whole lake region and the territory
west The men I'm the Northwest COM
pany We're ScOtchmen, and they were
the real lords and rulers of the Cam
adas. There was smaller concern.
known as the MackinaW company. that
operated In the upper Mississippi Yai-
ley. New York, In the days of British
control, had fair trade. but the Revo-
luuonary war had driven away the
British merchants.
Patiently and carefully Ast0r went
about building up a trade ON his own
account He sought no alliances and
looked for no faNors He traded with
the Indians. the French and the Eng
lish. Occasionally he travelled 20 Can
ada and purchased pelts from the
MI III MNnA'AAA AWtllAilNf TIC MAJ Is lAAfAh
company or the Hudson Bay company
In good years and ln bad years DE
prOspered, for Dee was genius as
merchant Tie was "a trade economist.
Most OF the goods be exchanged for
pelts he manufactured himself.
BOUGHT LAND AND BOUGHT
LAND.
BY the close OF the eighteenth CEN
Jury he was the richest man m the
United States Then. a- Dds wealth
continued 10 grow, hc ava "a thing that
many persons thought wac foolish. He
bought land Most cot thc land that DE-
bought was on Manhattan Island, FAR
beyond the developed section. and did
not seem likely 90 be encroached upon
bN the little city for generations 90
come. Occasionally he spread "a biz
in his land inYesnents once De pun
chased am estate of 10000 acres up tine
Hudson The wisest men Boa New York
solid hp was inviting ruin, tying up
vast sums in unproductiNe land that
meant nothing FOR him but tIKes. but
De kept un bus ing land.
Then. m the hrst decade uf thc nlue-
treuth century Louisiana was purchas-
el from France. and John Jacob Aston.
sitting boo his ONCE iu foarI street
studied the new map of the United
states and maYcled over The possi-
hilities the newly acquired empire
opened t0 iho milton, The region be-
yond tne Mississippi WAS less known
then than is the interior of Africa to-
day a few years before. tho Columbia.
that mighty river of the north had
been discovered. The Rocky noun
tains we're "a barrier hard 90 cross. A
great domain in the far northwest
would become the territory of the
nation whose people Qrst established
themselves there and raised the flag
To establish "a chain OF trading sta-
tionF along The Missouri 10 ita head
water and theu from the headNaters
Of the Columbia on the other side OF
tho Rockies down 20 the mouth Of Tue