Glacier County chief., 1940-09-13
LISA HAD WHITE
AND INDIAN WIFE
MOUNTAINS FIRST FUR TRADER
PROVIDED FOR EDUCATION
OF HIS CHILDREN
Each Offspring by His Frontier
Spouse Received $1,000 Upon Reach
ing Majority; He Made Immense
Fortune by Trading.

Spouse Received 5000 Upon Reach
ing Majority; He Made Immense
Fortune by Trading.
Manuel Lisa, Montana's first In
! dian trader, had two wives at the
| same time, one a white woman, the
other an Indian. The squaw knew
about the white woman and 1t
made no difference. But the white
woman didn't know about the In
dian wife-not for long time at
any rate-and Lisa did his level
best to keep her from it. In 1919
when he was planning 4 trip up
the Missouri river from his home
in St. Louis to mis- trading post at
the confluence of the Big Horn and
the Yellowstone rivers, and on
bringing his white wife with him.
he sent word ahead by n party OF
his traders who preceded him, to
his agent at the fort to have his
Indian wife sent to her people
during the time he was to be at
the fort.
Lisa married the Indian woman, o
member of the Omaha tribe, in 1914,
in order to ingratiate himself with
the tribe. She was the daughter of a
white woman at the time, left his
Indian wife with her people, or at
some of his various trading posts. see
ing her only once or twice a year She
presented him with two children, a
daughter and son.
His first wife died in 1917 and in
st. Louis the next year he married
another white woman. 1t was she
whom he took up the river with him
in 1919 when he ordered his Indian
wife taken away from the Big Horn
post.
Lisa at that time had the daughter
by his Indian wife in school at ST.
Louis, and when preparing to return
to st. Louis from the Big Horn in 1920,
he decided to take his son back with
him and place him in school. He sent
for his Indian wife and told her Of his
plan. She wanted to go along, but Lisa
told her to go back to her people,
saying that their relationship could no
longer continue. The Indian woman
protested that Lisa had spoiled her
chances of marriage among her own
people, had stolen one of her children
and was now trying to steal the other
She created such a row that the In
dian agent finally interfered, refusing
to allow Lisa to take the boy away
from his mother.
Lisa died Aug. II, that same year,
1920, at his home in st. Louis. In
his will he directed that his executor
provide for the education of his chill
dren by the Indian woman, and left
each of them $4,000 to be paid to them
when they reached their majority.
Lisa was born in New Orleans, Sept.
8, 1772, of Spanish parents. When ID
years OF age he went to st. Louis. Ten
years later he obtained from the
Spanish government license for d
monopoly of trading with the Usage
Indians, displacing Pierre Chouteau
When Lisa learned from Lewis and
Clark that there were beaver in the
northwest, he came here with an ex-
pedition which returned the next year
with rich store OF furs obtained in
trade from the Crows.
1t was then he proved that he was
not only adept as a fur trader but that
he was flnancier and a far-seeing
man of big business, by organizing the
Missouri Fur Co., capitalized at $40 900.
to prosecute fur trading in the upper
Missouri country. Lisa was a man of
great ability, an excellent judge of
men and well versed in methods of
Indian trade and native customs. He
was intensely active and always alert
to take advantage of any opportunity
that offered and unscrupulous where
any business advantage was to be OBJ
tanned.
In 1872 Lisa organized the firm as
Lisa g. Co., paying the old concern
$4,000 for its assets and he himself
retaining control The fur trade in
Montana suffered by reason of the
war Of 1872. the British Northwest Co.
continually melting the Indians against
the Americans. Lisa succeeded in turn
ing the Missouri Indians against the
1oWaS, who were British allies and
when peace was declared several
thousand Indians were planning an ex-
petition against the pro- British tribes
of the upper Mississippi
Although he died when only 40 years
OF age, Lisa achieved an immense for
tune in the fur business. He was at
one time charged with having made
his wealth by cheating the Indians.
He vigorously denied the accusation,
but because of it resigned in 1917 the
office of subagent for the Indian tribes
of the upper Missouri to which he had
been appointed by the United States