Glacier County chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1931-1940, 1940-09-20
By WALTER f. TAYLOR

when David Thompson, the
great trader-geographer of early
fur trade days, was riding west of
the continental divide in 1911. one
Of his employees was a dark
skinned boy named John Coke.
Coke was tall and handsome, lad
in his teens who at first glance
might easily have been taken for
an Indian, but closer inspection of
his rather flat facial features and
slightly kinky hair would deny
any connection with the Indian
race. Handsome Johnny Coke was
an Hawaiian, one of many who
worked for fur trading companies
in the northwest during the first
half of the 18th century.
AS he strobe through the forests or
padded a canoe down a foaming river
with a perfection of movement born
Of long experience with canoes in the
open sea, John Coke presented a
bizarre picture. There was tatooing on
adorned with charms and ornaments
typical of the islands that were his
homeland: his trousers were of fine
Scotch plaid wool, a purchase from
one of the trading company stores:
and his shirt and moccasins were OF
soft tan buckskin, brightly quilted and
beaded handwork of the Indians that
Ilttu DSCIl LtStlllcll, pei Wy
lOve-sick Kootenai maid. On his lips
was song OF the islands, sung in
that weird falsetto that only the
Hawaiians seem able to produce. He
was son of the far and sunny South
Seas but he was at home in the for
ests of the great northwest.
John Coke had come to America in
a traders ship several years before
his appearance in what Is now western
occictni in tho hlIiIi-
ing of the famous fur fort, Astoria,
for the Aston company and had proved
himself so able that he was assigned to
an expedition up the Columbia river
in 1910. When his party returned to
the coast John Coke joined David
Thompson in the kootenai country.
He accompanied Thompson on eXplor-
ing and trading expeditions down
through the MiSSoula country as a
man Of all work and sometimes as a
valued assistant in mapmaklng. Per-
haps he sat with David Thompson atop
Mount Jumbo overlooking the present
size Of MiSsoula the day Thompson
mapped that portion OF the country
Coke was source OF delight and Won
der to the Indians, for he sang them
his island songs and could match them
in any feat OF strength or daring.
In 1912, when David Thompson left
! the Pacific northwest forever, John
Coke accompanied him across the
Rocky mountains from western Mon
tana and on the long, long trail to
Fort William on Lake Superior. There
Thompson parted company with his
duSky assistant. Thompson travelled
east to obscurlty and paupers plot
in Mount Royal cemetery at Montreal
John Coke also took the trail east
! from Fort William but his road led
no toI
ton with his stories OF Hawaii and
( his demonstrations of Polynesian dance
steps. Coke liked what he had seen
! of the white mans world and decided
10 go TO Europe to see more. This
Hawaiian glob1-trotter set sail for
England in the Isaac Todd, but before
reaching English shores his ship en-
counttred the British man-o-war
Racoon, enroute to Astoria. Coke trans
ierred to the Racoon and Travelled
around the horn to the mouth OF the
Columbia river where he again went
TO work in the fur trade Subsequently
he made several trips to his homeland
J. but the northwest had put her spell
upon him and he returned to America
/ TO end his days as swineherd al
one of the trading posts.
"Owyhees" in the Fur Trade
! The presence of Hawaiians in the
early fur trade of the northwest L
one of those tributaries to the mail,
stream of history that comes to light
only in casual mention in the journals
of literate men who helped make the
early history of the northwest. The
Hawaiians were accepted as common
place by their companions in the fun
trade and are not given special men
ton in the early writings. And seldom,
are they mentioned as Hawallans. but
always as Owyhees, kanakas, or Sand
! wich islanders. Owyhee was an early
day way of spelling Hawaii; Kanaka
was a native Hawaiian word meaning
man; and the name Sandwich island,
ers was applied because the Hawaiian
islands were then known as the Sand
wich islands, named thus by Captain