Missouri Fur Company
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Fur trade |
| Founded | February 24, 1809 in St. Louis, Missouri, United States |
| Founder | Manuel Lisa, Pierre Menard, Benjamin Wilkinson, Jean Pierre Chouteau, Auguste Pierre Chouteau, Reuben Lewis, William Clark, Andrew Henry |
| Defunct | 1830 |
| Headquarters | St. Louis , United States |
Area served | Upper Missouri River basin |
Key people | Manuel Lisa, William Clark, Joshua Pilcher |
The Missouri Fur Company—also referred to as the St. Louis Missouri Fur Company or the Manuel Lisa Trading Company—ranked among the pioneering fur trading organizations headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Functioning under several titles from 1809 until its ultimate disbandment in 1830, the enterprise was established by notable traders and businessmen such as Manuel Lisa, members of the Chouteau family, and explorer William Clark. This company was instrumental in launching fur trading ventures along the upper Missouri River, engaging extensively with Indigenous tribes and setting a foundation for subsequent trading companies operating in that region.
Foundation of the company
Inspired by findings from the Lewis and Clark Expedition that revealed plentiful beaver populations along the upper Missouri River, Manuel Lisa organized a fur trading journey in 1807. Collaborating with Pierre Menard and enlisting experienced frontiersmen like John Colter and George Drouillard, Lisa established Fort Raymond at the junction of the Bighorn and Yellowstone rivers in what is now Montana. Upon his return to St. Louis in 1808, he promoted the commercial development of these natural resources.
On February 24, 1809, Lisa allied with influential fur traders and merchants—including Benjamin Wilkinson, Jean Pierre Chouteau, Auguste Pierre Chouteau, Reuben Lewis, William Clark, Andrew Henry, among others—to create the Missouri Fur Company. The partnership agreement signed on March 9 outlined specific roles: Lisa and Wilkinson were designated as field agents, Clark served as the St. Louis representative, and exclusive trading privileges were granted to the firm. With initial funding exceeding $40,000, assets such as equipment and posts like Fort Raymond were consolidated under company control. The business model focused on exchanging goods such as firearms, ammunition, and whiskey with Native American groups in return for furs. The operational zone included the Missouri River basin above the Platte River.
Henry-Menard Expedition (1809–1811)
The Missouri Fur Company secured investments to equip 350 men for trapping beaver along the upper Missouri River and conducting trade with Indigenous communities. Governor Meriwether Lewis contracted the company to escort Mandan Chief Shehaka back to his tribe following his visit to Washington, D.C. Two groups departed in 1809; after returning Shehaka safely to Fort Mandan, Manuel Lisa and Pierre Chouteau went back to St. Louis, leaving Pierre Menard and Andrew Henry responsible for operations.
Menard reported potential threats from Blackfeet warriors and internal discord within the company, highlighting friction between French and American members. In March 1810, Menard, Henry, Reuben Lewis, accompanied by 32 men under John Colter’s guidance, established a trading post near the Three Forks area of the Missouri.
Although anticipated to yield significant fur profits, this outpost was constructed on Blackfeet lands without their consent. The Blackfeet opposed trapping activities there and harbored resentment toward Lisa’s earlier trade relations with their rivals, the Crow Nation. On April 12, 1810, Blackfeet forces attacked, resulting in five fatalities and confiscation of supplies. A subsequent assault on April 23 caused some traders to retreat to St. Louis under Menard’s leadership while Henry remained with remaining trappers.
During their withdrawal journey, George Drouillard was killed in an ambush. Henry’s group endured a substantial assault by more than 200 Blackfeet warriors and ultimately abandoned the post by late 1810. They then founded a temporary trading station at Henry's Fork of the Snake River in present-day Idaho but faced difficulties due to inadequate food supplies.
By spring 1811, this expedition disbanded; some members headed south toward Spanish-controlled territories while others moved eastward into the Missouri River valley. Manuel Lisa later reunited with Henry’s contingent in July 1811. The mission failed both to secure significant fur returns and to maintain Fort Lisa on the Yellowstone River.
Chouteau Expedition of 1810
During the period when the Henry-Menard Expedition encountered difficulties in the upper Missouri area, Auguste Pierre Chouteau led a separate venture toward the Mandan. A devastating fire consumed his trading post along with a significant portion of furs, compelling Chouteau to return to St. Louis by late 1810. The expedition’s financial results were further weakened by declining beaver pelt prices.
Reorganizations of 1812 and 1813
In January 1812, the company underwent dissolution and was restructured with fewer founding members and an estimated valuation near $30,000. It operated as a joint-stock company limited to ten shares owned exclusively by St. Louis residents, declining an investment proposal from fur trader John Jacob Astor.
Manuel Lisa led an expedition up the Missouri River in early 1812, equipped with $11,000 worth of trade goods; however, it yielded only modest profits. The following year’s expedition also fell short of expectations, triggering another reorganization. Manuel Lisa emerged as the principal owner of the newly formed Manuel Lisa Trading Company, which functioned with decreased capital and a smaller original membership. Due to constraints imposed by the War of 1812, trading activities were restricted until 1816, concentrating efforts around Council Bluff where a new Fort Lisa was established near what is now North Omaha.
Reorganization of 1819
After the war, in 1819, the company experienced another restructuring with Lisa remaining as its only original member. New investors such as Joshua Pilcher, Thomas Hempstead, Joseph Perkins, and others joined. Lisa’s final expedition set out late that year; he passed away unexpectedly in St. Louis in August 1820. At this point, the Missouri Fur Company held capitalization of $17,000—twice that of other fur traders based in St. Louis.
Joshua Pilcher succeeded Lisa as president and broadened the company’s reach into the upper Missouri region. In 1820, Pilcher’s team constructed Fort Recovery at the mouth of the White River and followed in 1821 with the establishment of Fort Benton at the confluence of the Yellowstone and Bighorn Rivers on the former site of Fort Lisa.
Jones' Expedition of 1822
Early in 1822, Pilcher sent an expedition under Robert Jones from St. Charles, Missouri to Fort Benton. By year’s end, they returned to St. Louis carrying over $25,000 in furs. In 1823, Jones’s group departed Fort Benton to negotiate trade relations with the Blackfeet tribe, reaching Three Forks by May with plans to set up a post near the Great Falls of the Missouri. Although initial interactions were favorable, on May 30, 1823, Blackfeet warriors launched an attack resulting in Jones’s death along with several other key members and causing losses estimated at $15,000. The survivors constructed boats to reach Fort Vanderburgh before eventually returning to St. Louis.
Dissolution
Following this disastrous expedition, Pilcher dissolved the Missouri Fur Company toward the end of 1824. A successor company bearing Pilcher’s name assumed control of its assets but soon withdrew from posts located above Council Bluff. The enterprise faced stiff competition from rivals such as John Jacob Astor’s American Fur Company and the Rocky Mountain Fur Company, established by former shareholders Andrew Henry and William Henry Ashley. Furthermore, inconsistent suppliers and unreliable agents further weakened its operations.
Pilcher Expedition of 1827–1829
In September 1827, Pilcher embarked on his company's concluding expedition, departing from Council Bluff and heading toward the Salt Lake Valley following the Platte and Sweetwater rivers. Upon reaching South Pass (Wyoming), the entire stock of horses was stolen, compelling the party to spend the winter along the Green River, where water exposure damaged their trade merchandise. While most members returned to Council Bluff by spring 1828, Pilcher and nine others obtained fresh horses and ventured into the Pacific Northwest to scout potential trade routes. They spent the winter near Flathead Lake, but once again, their horses were taken in February 1829. This loss prompted seven trappers to leave; Pilcher and one companion then set out for Fort Colville on the Columbia River. Traders affiliated with the Hudson's Bay Company assisted Pilcher in making his way back to St. Louis after an extensive journey through Canada, during which he encountered prominent explorers such as Prince Paul of Württemberg.
Final dissolution
By June 1830, after returning to St. Louis, Pilcher had acquired a thorough understanding of the vast British trading network operated by the Hudson's Bay Company alongside the prevailing influence of the American Fur Company, which held near-monopoly control over the American fur market. Confronted with this overwhelming competition and diminished company resources, Pilcher chose to disband the Pilcher Company without entering into formal agreements or selling it. Subsequent to this closure, numerous former employees joined the American Fur Company based in St. Louis, although the fur trade industry was already experiencing a downturn.