Chapter -1- , His Trading Posts & Forts

Manuel Lisa was born 8 September 1872 in , son of Cristobal de Lisa and Marie Ignacia Rodriguez of St Augustine, Florida. This date is questionable because Lisa had several times referred to his “older” brother Joaquin whose birth is recorded, as 21 December 1874.Lisa died 12 August 1820 from unknown causes. On some church or vital records he was sometimes listed as Manuel de-Lisa Rodriguez. (e.g., Manuel, son of Lisa & Rodriguez). Christopher Lisa was born in Murcia, and arrived in America to serve the Spanish government about the time they occupied . He was thought to have been a Customs’ Official.

The colony of New Orleans was founded by the French Republic as Nouvelle-Orléans under the direction of Jean Baptiste Lemoyne, Sieur de Bienville, in 1718. There were fur trappers there before its founding. In 1763 the colony was ceded to the Spanish Empire under a secret provision of the Treaty of Fontainebleau, but no Spanish governor came to take control until 1766. Some of the early French settlers were never quite happy with Spanish rule, and repeatedly petitioned to be returned to French control.

Lisa became involved in the while in his teens. Starting in the 1790’s he piloted his own boat on the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, trading goods with the Indians and other settlers. In 1796 he established a frontier store in Vincennes on the Wabash River located in the American held Northwest Territory (Indiana). Previously he met Polly Chew, the widow of Samuel Chew who was killed by Indians some three years earlier. She and her infant daughter Rachel Chew were held for ransom. General William Henry Harrison, an ensign at the time under the command of General Anthony Wayne, secured her release and this became a moment of fame for him. He was then, as an ensign, placed in charge of Fort Washington (near Cincinnati, Ohio) in 1796. Following their release, the child was baptized on August 12, 1796 in Vincennes; Lisa was the signer of the certificate. Rachael’s godmother was Lisa’s own mother. Polly was born 1783 in Virginia and died 18 February 1818. Indians attacked the Chew family in 1796 shortly after Rachael was born. This was near where Lisa had founded his store. Polly’s face was severely marked by knife cuts; and her husband Samuel Chew was killed. Lisa took pity on Polly and married her at that time. However, the records in the St Louis King of France Church state they married in 1803.

Before the Upper Louisiana was transferred to America on March 10, 1804, consisted mainly of French and Spanish ‘vagrant hunters’ and traders who never passed beyond where Council Bluffs was later located. Licensed by the French and Spanish rulers to trade with the Osage, Omaha, and Pawnee Indians were: Jacques Clamorgan, Bernard Pratte, Benito Vasquez, Jean Cabanne and August . In the 1790’s Clamorgan traded as far as the villages and Regis Louisel built a trading post at Cedar Island in 1802 to conduct trade with the Dakota Indians. Manuel Lisa, then a citizen of the of America, was the person who ignited the advent of large scale fur trading on the upper Missouri in 1807 and brought the United States into its own. This was his legacy to the fur trade, and many followed his pattern for many decades after1.

Manuel’s apparent intent was to settle in Vincennes, as he had accounts with many wealthy persons. Among them were Francisco Vigo and Touissant Dubois. From Vigo he learned that jealous rivals would always haunt a successful trader. From Dubois he purchased over 2,000 acres of

1 The Fur Trade of the American West 1807-1840, David Wishart, pg. 42. Chapter 1 –Page 1 of 13 rich Indiana farmland for $1,700. He never had a chance to settle there. In 1797 he arrived in Cincinnati as a traveler going west. William Henry Harrison, commander of Fort Washington wrote the Secretary of War that he thought Lisa, a funny looking foreigner, might be a spy. He soon learned that Lisa was a merchant traveling back to his store in Vincennes. Lisa retained that store until 1799, when taxation apparently drove him out. He had already moved his base of operations to St Louis, in anticipation of problems. On September 5, 1798 Lt Governor Trudeau in St Louis felt Lisa’s wrath over an unpaid debt owed by Joseph Robidoux, a local merchant of long standing. Robidoux was co-signer of a $2,000 note from Tynan Chatigny. This was the first such of many lawsuits; and after the territory changed hands, the Spanish courts were glad to get rid of Lisa and his problems. On July 16, 1799 Lisa petitioned the Lt Governor for six thousand arpens of land (French measure approximately 5/6th of an acre per arpen) on the bank. He also petitioned for a similar piece of land for his brother. He got both grants the following day. He then took up permanent residence in St Louis. This was a dirty town; waste disposal method was to toss it into the street. Dead cattle were left to rot where they fell. The local fort, established earlier on top of a hill, was converted into a jail.

In 1799 after relocating to Saint Louis, Missouri, the northernmost post in Spanish Louisiana he obtained a generous land grant under the pretense of farming. At first he tried to break into the local trading circles, but the old-established French families would have nothing to do with him. Frustrated, he collected numerous petitions from other Spanish businessmen and went to the seat of government in New Orleans to complain. This did no good, so he returned to St Louis and took matters into his own hands. Knowing how the Spanish government operated he was able to secure an exclusive contract from the Spanish Government to trade with the Osage Indians along the Osage River, displacing Major John Pierre Choteau, who had monopolized that trade for over 20 years. Choteau obtained a six-year grant from the Spanish government in 1894, providing that he construct a trading post among the Indians. That he did, and in 1800 obtained an extension for four more years. In that same year, a secret treaty between France and Spain, the Treaty of Ildefonso, ceded Louisiana back to France; and word went out that Napoleon was negotiating with the United States for a sale. Bucking the French families’ stronghold, and knowing how the Spanish government operated, he proposed to build a water mill to grind flour as fine as that of the “Anglo-.” To assist in obtaining this trading privilege, he placed a $1,000 gift in the Royal Spanish treasury, although several researchers dispute this claim. Lisa formed a partnership in June 1802 with Francisco Maria Benoit, Juan Baptista Sarpy (son-in-law) and Carlos Sanguinet for a period of five years to trade with the Osage Indians. This action made Lisa even more unpopular with the French businessmen, and having an explosive temper became inflamed over a series of criticisms about the policies of Charles Dehault Delassus, Lt Governor of St Louis. As a result he was placed in a jail cell. To counteract the resultant loss of business caused by the Lisa charter, Pierre Choteau convinced half of the Osage Indian Tribe members to relocate into the Arkansas River area, thus assuring him a continuation of trade. Lisa was now the pre-eminent trader in the fur business, and in 1802 was granted a monopoly by the Spanish government for fur commerce with the Osage tribe.

The squabbles with Delassus vanished immediately when Louisiana ownership shifted from Spain to France, and finally to the United States. During the winter of 1803-1804 Lewis & Clark were planning their trek across America, and St Louis became the headquarters for provisioning the expedition. Manuel Lisa, along with partner Francois Marie Benoit, was one of these providers; but had great difficulty in completing the task. on the eve of their departure remarked: “Damn Manuel and triply damn Mr. B. They give me more vexation and trouble than their lives are worth…..”2. It was here that he became acquainted with , and other members of the expedition. He realized that these were important men, and the knowledge they would bring back could be of immense value. Lisa was automatically given citizenship in America as a result of the , and under the American court system started to consolidate his assets by instituting a number of

2 Lewis to Clark, May 8, 1804, Jackson Letters 1:180. The feeling was mutual, although Lisa was more restrained. Lisa felt that Lewis was fond of exaggerating. See also: First Post in the Far West by Raymond Wood. (Excellent summary of events and highly recommended) Chapter 1 - Page 2 of 13 lawsuits to collect funds from his debtors. This took two years to accomplish. Being financially secure he then tried to establish a trade route across the deserts of the southwest, but soon realized that the obstacles were too great. His first son Raymond (Ramón) was born on 4 December 1805 and christened in the St Louis King Church on March 2, 1806. (Raymond died on 1 July 1811). This is the son that some say that Lisa Big Horn River fort after. (Note: There is a considerable amount of un-located family records about this family. Many historians have ‘inter-laced’ other Lisa families ancestries with this Lisa; so much so, that the true family lineages are in question – even grave sites.)

When the L&C expedition returned, he met with Lewis and Clark and learned about the vast wealth in furs that lay in the northern part of the Louisiana Purchase near the Three Forks from . Manuel Lisa immediately established a trading partnership to garner that wealth. In April 1807 he first contacted a small group of men interested in this new opportunity. This was the firm of “Lisa, Menard & Morrison”, George Druillard3, a member of the upcoming expedition, was a principle aid to Lisa at the request of Morrison & Menard, and hired to look after their interests. The partners were:

Benito Vasquez (2nd in Command) John Potts Peter Weiser (Wiser) Andrew Henry William Morrison (Remained in St Louis) Pierre Menard (Remained in St Louis)

In the same year President Jefferson named Meriwether Lewis as Governor of , and William Clark as Brigadier General of the Territorial Militia. This was quite a promotion, as William Clark was only a 2nd Lt when he participated in the trek to the Pacific Ocean and back. The President held his true rank in secret, and all on the expedition thought he was a Captain.

Lisa purchased two keelboats plus $16,000 worth of supplies and led some of these partners, along with trappers and others (estimated as being about 50-60 men) up river by boat. The names of engages haven’t been located, but some from the L&C Expedition and four actual engages were:

George Drouillard (not an engage – but attached to watch interests of investors) Helped develop relations with Indians & assist in guiding. In 1808 provided details of the 1807 fort’s location to William Clark, who penned a map of the site’s location and trail to the Spanish settlements. John Colter (not engage – but attached to assist in developing relations with Indians & and guide duties) In 1809 returned to St Louis, sold his land grant from L&C Expedition, and signed on with Andrew Henry to assist in guiding, etc.) Note: Andrew Henry was member of Lisa’s 2nd Fur Trapping Company called “the St Louis Fur Company”. During 1808-1809, Colter trapped the area around the Stinking Water (Shoshoni) River. John Potts (not engage – member of trapping firm)

3 Spelling of George Druillard’s name was as noted in the 1901 ’s Historical Society, formed for the preservation of area history. Notes by Charles E. de Land. (Also Drouillard and Drewyer) Chapter 1 –Page 3 of 13 On July 6, 1808 at , signed a $424.50 note for trapping supplies along with Peter Weiser and Forest Hancock, to Manuel Lisa. In 1810 he was at The Fort on the Three Forks with Andrew Henry where he met Colter. He was killed soon after by Blackfoot Indians. This was when Colter escaped from same Indians & made his way back to the Big Horn fort. His estate was then sued by the trapping firm for $1,000.00 for collection of debts owed for supplies.) Peter Weiser (not an engage – but attached as interested firm member) In July 1808 was at Fort Raymond with Potts & Forest Hancock. Between the years 1808-1810 he was with Andrew Henry at The Fort of the Three Forks and on Snake River. Paul Primeau (engage – Joined the group.) In 1807 borrowed $292.05 for supplies from Lisa and Drouillard. He repaid debt in 1808. Antoine Bissonette (engage) He deserted along the trip up river, stealing supplies from the fur trappers, so as to make it easier for him to return. Lisa sent Drouillard to get him. He was shot, taken back upstream. Lisa placed him in a “boat” and sent him down to ST Louis for treatment. He died enroute. Later Drouillard was tried for murder, but cleared by the courts. …..Bouche (engage) Lazy lout, refused to work on fort construction. Forest Hancock (engage)

The river was especially cruel to him, lots of rushing water, wind against the direction of travel, and the water was flowing about four miles per hour; making the journey very difficult. He initially planned to go to the Three Forks area via the Missouri River where they would construct a fort (trading post4), trade goods with Indians, as well as do their own trapping so as to eliminate the most expensive portion of the fur trade costs. $12,649 worth of their supplies was purchased from G Gillespie & Company of Michilimackinac through a local trader named Myers Michael. He started out on this venture, lagging about 19 days behind ’s fur brigade that was headed west. He vowed to overtake Astor’s party. Lisa passed the Astor party, and continued on, covering 1,200 miles on the rivers in sixty-one days. He had excursions with , and Assiniboins before reaching the . At the mouth of the Osage River, Antoine Bissonette, one of Lisa’s engages, deserted. Lisa ordered a search for him and commanded that he be brought back. Drouillard overtook and shot him when he tried to escape after being caught, wounding him severely. Lisa put the wounded man in a boat and sent him back to St. Charles, doing all that was possible for his comfort; but he died on the way. When Lisa and Drouillard returned the following year, 1808, Drouillard was tried for murder before J. B. Lucas, presiding judge, and (associate of Lisa’s venture in 1809). The jury found him not guilty5. The main reason was that Bissonette had stolen several packets of food and supplies from the expedition and stashed them on-shore at various places, indicating he was planning this escape all along.

En Route, they met John Colter at the mouth of the Platte River. He was traveling down river from the Mandan Village. Lisa invited John to join the group; and he assisted in guiding them into the region. From there Lisa passed through the country of the without trouble, but was stopped by that most treacherous of the Missouri tribes, the Arikaras. He found between two and three hundred warriors awaiting his approach, for news always traveled among these Indians faster than boats ascended the river. They evidently meant trouble, and probably intended to prevent Lisa's further advance. They fired a volley across his bow at the place where they had decided that he should land. There was no way to ignore their imperious

4 This fort was later constructed at the Three Forks site 5 The American Fur Trade of the Far West, pg 115, Hiram Chittenden 1902 Chapter 1 - Page 4 of 13 command, and Lisa put to shore. Immediately upon touching the beach he ordered that no Indians should get in his boat, and the chief stationed a guard to keep off the crowd. The women then appeared with bags of corn with which to open trade; but an Indian rushed forward and cut the bags with his knife, whereupon the women took to flight. Whether this was a premeditated signal for a general onslaught is not clear, but if so, the purpose was foiled by Lisa's watchfulness and preparation. They had failed to throw him off his guard. Instantly calling his men to arms and training his two swivels upon the shore, he gave such evidence of a purpose to open fire immediately that the Indians retreated in confusion. The chiefs then came forward holding their pipes before them in token of pacific intentions. Lisa permitted them to approach and they apologized for the incident, characteristically throwing the blame of it upon some irresponsible person who they said was a bad man. Lisa accepted this hollow explanation without being in the least deceived by it. He quickly finished his business at the villages and resumed his voyage.

Colter directed them up the Yellowstone, and not the Missouri as Lisa had previously planned. Lisa desired to go to the three forks because the L&C Expedition stated that the location was rich in Beaver and fine furs. They arrived at the Big Horn and spent one night there before continuing on to Three Forks, where Lisa planned to build a fort. Apparently Colter convinced Lisa to abandon his idea to construct a fort at Three Forks, and instead build one at the Big Horn, where friendly Crows lived.

Note: There is some confusion here: some believe that Lisa never went to Three Forks at this time, but only stopped at the Big Horn and constructed the fort immediately. This may or may not be true. Lisa’s original intent was to trade with the Blackfeet, and not the Crows.

Returning to (or arriving at) the Big Horn River in September they constructed a temporary two-room log fort at the confluence’s southwest corner, completing it (the fort itself) in October 1807.6 The area had an abundance of wood, some coal deposits for heating, and a good supply of water. Most all the members helped construct the shelter, with the exception of Bouche, who would not participate, refusing to make pegs for the roofing timbers. Throughout all the time he was with Lisa, this man was unruly and considered a slacker, and had left a huge liquor bill for Lisa to pay when he returned to St Louis. From Lisa’s deposition given in St Louis on May 18, 1811, it appears that he had his men construct a two-room structure for shelter, and then expanded it into a fort. Drouillard made a sketch of the fort’s location on 5 August 1808 stating it was “established in October 31, 1807.” It was located in the angle between the two rivers (southwest corner). Note that some researchers state it was on the southeast junction; but that belies the facts. In 1838 MH Stansbury completed a map of the Oregon Territory, on which the Bureau of Topographical Engineers were commissioned to define all of the Trading Posts and Forts connected with the fur trade in that territory. Lisa’s post on the Big Horn was clearly denoted as “Manuel’s Fort”, and it rested on the southwest juncture of the two rivers. Richard Oglesby, in his “Manuel Lisa, and the Opening of the Missouri Fur Trade”, provided a map that also shows the fort to be located on the southwest junction of the two rivers. He called it Fort Raymond. This is the primary source for that name. He also stated the fort was generally called Manuel’s Fort. Chittenden, the earlier researcher, called it Manuel’s Fort.

The temporary fort became known much later under several confusing names: Fort Raymond, Fort Manuel Lisa, Fort Manuel, Manuel’s Fort, , Fort Ramon, or Fort Ramón, with some claims that it was named after his son Raymond, using Oglesby (1961) as the originator of the name “Fort Raymond”. There are no records of the fort’s dimensions. The river was reported to have shifted its banks, but that is totally false, and all traces of its location were thought to have been washed away. This was caused by Northern Pacific Railroad cutting a channel through the protruding triangular piece of land immediately prior to the signing of the Crow Reservation Act of 1906. The

6 Many researchers refer to the construction as being completed in the spring of 1808, but no evidence of that has been located. Chapter 1 –Page 5 of 13 gravel and earth that was removed from the adjoining sections was all in accordance with a prior 1882 Treaty for unlimited egress into the Crow Reservation land as required to support construction. The resultant island [about 240-280 acres in size] that was created by this act made all researchers after 1906 believe that the ‘land based fort’ was lost to the waters.

John Colter didn’t participate in the fort’s construction, but was directed by Lisa to seek out the Crow Indians and advise them of the fort and desire to trade. Lisa also asked that George Drouillard7 locate the Indians and tell them that he is at the Big Horn confluence and wants to trade. This is when Colter reportedly traveled about 500-1000 miles throughout the southern regions (Colter’s Hell [near to the Big Horn River] and the Yellowstone Park area). When he reached the Wind River he met the Crow Indians (winter of 1807), then returned to the fort, arriving there in the spring of 18088. Prior to this time the Crows only prepared animal skin robes for their immediate needs, never more. With the demand of trade, each lodge quickly prepared many extra ones. Drouillard made two trips south into the Big Horn Basin area looking for Spanish settlements as well as Indians. George Drewyer (Drouillard) penned a sketch of the fort’s location in a logbook page (penned in name by William Clark in 1808), which also included a trail map to the Spanish Villages on the Platte (North Platte River) that he evidently traveled in search of the Spanish Settlements, some two weeks distant by horseback. That trail later became known as “the Bad Pass Trail” by trappers in the 1830’s. This trail led directly south from the fort, passing by a large sand-stone rock bearing Lisa & Colter names & dates (1807 & 1810) located north of HWY 10 on the west side of the Big Horn River, about ¼ mile south of the old fort’s location. This map hung in the Bureau of Indian Affairs offices until January 1925, when it was transferred to the Library of Congress, and simply labeled “Big Horn River, made by George Drewyer-1808.” This map consists of the actual true fort’s location and was sketched in the “southwest angle between the Yellowstone and the Big Horn Rivers, plus a page from the trapper’s accounts of some expenses incurred during the 1807 time spent at the fort. William Clark is said to have used this map to create an overall representation of the Indian Country in 1813. Clark wasn’t able complete that map9, and the Yellowstone regions are omitted. Clark did annotate his July 1806 map of the river junction – adding the fort’s exact location.

Note: Colter left no written record, but did tell others of his journey. He traveled with a 30-# pack and rifle – at times getting Indian guides to assist in his trek. His precise route is unknown, but apparently across the Big Horn Basin and upper areas of Wind River. He was the first white man reported to visit Jackson Hole. He climbed Teton Pass enroute to Pierre’s Hole. Some of the other men in Lisa’s party went to Three Forks in the fall of 1808, but found the “Blackfeet” very resistant. In the spring of 1809 Benito Vasquez closed the fort and with Colter and the others they headed for the Mandan villages on the Missouri. With them they had 15 beaver skins and 10 buffalo robes. They arrived there on 22 September 1809. Lisa running up-river with a new supply of provisions and 150 men in 15 keelboats met them. George Drouillard was with them.10 In was probably at this time that Lisa either expanded his 1807 fort by adding a corral. The island location has aerial evidence of two unusual ground formations: 1) a square shape about 40-feet/side, and 2) an enclosure that appears as three-inter-locking rings about 100-200 feet in size. These depressions are not visible from the ground level.

Lisa left the Big Horn fort in July 1808 and traveled to St Louis where he established the St Louis . It was at this time that Clark added the fort’s location to his earlier map. There were no copies distributed.

7 After Lewis & Clark, by Robert M Utley 8 Defined from Crow Oral History, Reference book # 59. 9 Reference Library of Congress Map #CT000904. 10 # 7 Ibid page 18 Chapter 1 - Page 6 of 13

Articles of Agreement – St Louis Missouri Fur Company (20 September 1809)

Signed in St Louis on March 7th 180911 and witnessed by Meriwether Lewis12, after many meetings during the winter months of 1808-1809. The agreement was for a three year duration, ending in 1811:

Pre [Pierre] Chouteau, Sr. Auguste Chouteu, Jr Manuel Lisa Rueben Lewis Pierre Menard William Clark Bejaminn Wilkinson Sylvester Labadie AP Chouteau Ben Wilkinson (agent acting for Reuben Lewis) Manuel Lisa (pr Pierre Menard) Manuel Lisa (pr William Morrison) Andrew Henry Dennis Fitz Hugh

Andrew Henry stayed at Fort Manuel during his absence. While in St Louis he transferred the assets of his earlier 1807 partnership to the St Louis Missouri Fur Company. In the spring of 1809 he again ascended the rivers and arrived at the Big Horn fort. Accompanying him were 150 men and enough supplies to stock five or six posts. He planned to establish several posts along the Missouri & Yellowstone Rivers, and to build a main fort at the Three Forks junction in 1810. Enroute he left some men and supplies at Cedar Island on the Missouri to build a fort for trade with the Sioux, and other forts near the Arikaras, Mandans and Minnetarees villages. In October he returned to St Louis. In the winter of 1808-1809 he attempted to go to Montreal on a fur trade mission, but was prevented from crossing into Canada at the Detroit checkpoint and forced to return. In the spring of that year he traveled back to the fort, returning later that same year to St Louis. In the spring of 1810 Andrew Henry & Pierre Menard led some of the trappers from Manuel’s Fort to the Three Forks area, where they constructed a very large fort called the Fort of the Three Forks, on the neck of land between the Madison & Jefferson River Junction (about two miles above its confluence.)

Fort of the Three Forks – A large post described by Lt Bradley when he visited the site in 1870. He traced the general outlines: “It was a double stockade of logs set three-feet deep, enclosing an area of about 300 feet square…..”

11 Signing date of May 9, 1809 also exists. There seems to be three separate copies of the deed, including one in French (Chittendom –Ibid) 12 Meriwether Lewis was appointed governor of the region after completing his 1804-1806 trek to the Pacific Ocean and back with the Corps of Engineers. Chapter 1 –Page 7 of 13 Trapping was great, and they expected to have 300 packs by winter. On April 12th the Blackfeet attacked some members killing five immediately and taking all possessions. Only two Indians were killed. The trappers were discouraged and guards were posted to keep trappers safe while they worked. Pierre Menard tried to solicit the Snakes and Flathead Indians to intervene and help capturing a Blackfoot to use as a bargaining tool to be permitted to have a fort on the Great Falls of the Missouri for trade. This never happened as the Blackfeet attacked again and some of the fur trappers left the fort. Pierre Menard returned to St Louis a few days before July 26 and told of the attacks. With him were many of the hunters and 30 packs of beaver collected so far. It was during this time in May when Drouillard and some Delaware Indians were scouting that he was ambushed about two miles from the fort by Blackfeet and killed. The remaining men at the fort were under constant attack by the Blackfeet, and in late summer they repulsed an attack of about 200 Blackfeet, losing only one man. In early winter Henry abandoned the fort and moved south along the Continental Divide establishing a temporary haven on the Snake River (now called Henry’s Fork.) The temporary fort location was near where Egin, ID now sits. It was the first fort built in the Columbia Valley. They did obtain some 40 packs of beaver. In the spring of 1811 they separated into small groups and set out in various directions. Henry decided to return to the Missouri. He met Lisa at the Arikaras in mid July.

Lisa then made another trip in 1810 up the Missouri and returned in the fall to St Louis after failing to meet up with Henry on the Missouri River. In the spring of 1810 Auguste Choteau set out for St Louis along with the furs he had collected below the Mandans. It was at this time that Manuel’s Fort was abandoned. He found the post at Cedar Island burned and furs worth about $15,000 destroyed. In April 1811 he set out again hoping to see what had become of Major Andrew Henry, whom he had left in charge of the trappers; plus bring back the furs. Lisa traveled as far as his post in the Mandans and remained there until he met Henry as he came down river. In October he returned to St Louis with the furs. During the winter of 1811- 1812 Lisa reorganized the Fur Company under a new charter; some members remained, some dropped out.

Articles of Incorporation 24 January 1812 ($50,000 capital)

Lisa with two barges of his goods valued at $11,000 and men departed St Louis on May 2nd and May 6th (1812). They arrived at the Mandan post and remained there until spring. After completing trade with the Indians Lisa went back down river, arriving in St Louis on June 1st, 1813. In the interim, war had started between the United States and Great Britain. Lisa was held in high regard for fair treatment with the Indians and was asked to keep them aligned with the United States’ interests. He was assigned as Sub-Agent for all Missouri Tribes above the Kansas. In August 1814 he left St Louis and headed for Fort Lisa (above Omaha) and stayed there until spring of 1815. He succeeded in gaining the Indians loyalty beyond all expectations, bringing down river 43 chiefs and men authorized to make treaties with the United States. In 1817 he resigned his commission. On August 12th, 1820 he died from an un-named serious illness at Sulphur Springs (suburb of St Louis). ------Manuel Lisa was born 8 September 1872 to Christopher (English Spelling) Lisa and Marie Ignacia Rodriguez. He died 12 August 1820 from unknown causes. On some church or vital records he was sometimes listed as Manuel de-Lisa Rodriguez. (e.g., Manuel, son of Lisa & Rodriguez). Following is a composite of the various source records located to date, and the probable arrangement of the Manuel Lisa children:

Manuel de-Lisa Rodriguez & Mary-Polly (Charles) Chales [widow Chew] married 1803 in St Louis, . Mary-Polly b: 1783 in Virginia13, d: 18 Feb 181814. Indians killed her first husband in 1796, near where Lisa had a trading post (NW Territory-Vincennes.) During the time he was married to Polly, he was also married Mitain (Pretty Squaw). Child from Samuel Chew marriage was Rachel Chew.

13 She also was reported to have been born in Vincennes in 1766. Chapter 1 - Page 8 of 13

1- Raimond (Raymond) b: 4 December 1805 (Christened 2 March 1806 in St Louis King France Church, St Louis; Died: 1 July 1811.) 2- Manuel, Jr, born Oct 14, 1809 in St Louis, Christened on 11 June 1812 in St Louis, died August, 1826 in Louisiana (Headstone record verifies the dates & lineage; buried in family plot) 3-Christopher (1818-1819), died about a year after Polly’s death. (No additional record)

These children are listed in the IGI as being Lisa’s children, but no direct verification of their status regarding Manuel Lisa (Trader) has been located. Chittenden lists these as Lisa’s children, but other sources don’t..

a-Raymond b: 1795 in New Orleans (Father Manuel Lisa, no mother listed and no further records – unlikely this is their child.) b-Eulalie Manuel (female) b: 1810 St Louis, d: 10 Feb 1818; (Not buried in family plot, no other record located) Identification not verified. c-Sally (no reliable information located) There was a Sally Hempstead, about the same age in the IGI. (See Manual’s third wife Mary Hempstead – below)

Manuel Lisa married MITAIN, daughter of , his 2nd marriage-alliance. Big Elk b: 1770, d: 1846, (Mitain referred to as Pretty Squaw) buried in Sarpy, (Big Elk was Chief of Omaha Tribe) in 1814 at Fort Hunt, ND Territory. Mitain was born: c1793 Bellevue, Sarpy, . Extensive family details are available. They had two children: Rosalie b: 1815 MO, d: 22 Dec 1904, Trenton, IL. (Note: A christening date is recorded for her as being 14 November 1797 in St Louis King France Church, St Louis with the above parents listed. This date has to be an error) She married Minister Fly.

Christopher b: 1816, MO This is the son Manuel wanted to take to St Louis for education in 1820 but relented, apparently named so after his father. Some researchers refer to him as “Raymond”, reason not stated nor explained. He relented to Mitain’s concerns, and took Rosalie instead.

Lisa’s third wife was Mary Hempstead Keeney (widow of John Keeney) and married on August 5, 1818. Mary’s parents were: Stephen Hempstead & Mary Lewis. Mary spoke neither French nor Spanish, and Lisa couldn’t speak English or French very well. She spent the winter of 1819-1820 at Fort Lisa thus probably the first white woman to do so. People referred to her as Aunt Lisa. She was born in New London, CT; died in Galena, IL Sep 3, 1869 at age 87 (Note: death also reported as 1879). They had no children.

From her previous marriage she had a son:

Christopher Keeney, vital records not located

14 According to the IGI she married CHEW 1780 in Vincennes, St Louis; also she was born there in 1766, same year and place as CHEW. Chapter 1 –Page 9 of 13

References

The following books and manuscripts were used to compile the Lisa Overview, each having their own view, but most copy Chittenden & Oglesby findings:

1. The Fur Trade of the American West, 1807-1840: A Geographical Synthesis By: David J. Wishart 2. History of Washington, Idaho, and By Hubert Howe Bancroft, Frances Fuller Victor (1845-1889) 3. The Life and Adventures of James P. Beckwourth as Told to Thomas D. Bonner 4. Early St Louis – Major , undated (c1818) 5. Lewis to Clark, May 8, 1804, Jackson Letters 1:180. 6. The American Fur Trade of the Far West, Hiram Chittenden 1902 7. Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft; Volume XXV, 1890 8. The Flight of the Nez Perce, by Mark Herbert Brown 9. Legends and Lies: Great Mysteries of the American West By Dale L. Walker, John Jakes 10. First Post in the West, by Raymond Wood, c2003 11. Parading through History by “Frederick E Hoxie 12. Breeds and Half-Breeds by Gordon Speck, 1969 13. Journal of a Fur Trading Expedition 1812-1813, by John C Luttig (Clerk) 14. The Lives of Mountain Men, by Bill Harris 2005 15. The Great West, by David Lavender, 2000 16. Library of Congress Map #CT000904 17. Treasure County: http://genealogytrails.com/mon/treasure 18. The Official History of the NPR-1893 by Riley 19. http://www.lewis-clark.org/content/content-article.asp?ArticleID=2970 20. Lewis & Clark Journals 21. Walter B. Douglas, Manuel Lisa, annotated and edited by A. P. Nasatir (New York: Argosy-Antiquarian, Ltd., 1964), 111 22. History of the Pacific States – Hubert Howe Bancroft Vol XXVI-1890 23. CT001859 (Big Horn City & Routes) de Lacy 1865 Map 24. Capitalism on the Frontier – Carol van West 25. Articles of Agreement – St Louis Missouri Fur Company (20 September 1809) 26. Articles of Incorporation 24 January 1812 ($50,000 capital) 27. http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~earlystlouis/bfcem-lisamanueljr.html Chapter 1 - Page 10 of 13 28. American State Papers, Senate, 18th Congress, 1st Session 29. http://www.economicexpert.com/a/Manuel:Lisa.html 30. Billings Gazette May 5, 1946 31. The Geographical Review, A New Lewis & Clark Map, by Annie Abel, Ph. D., May, 1916, Vol 1, No. 5 32. Montana Dateline by Ellis Robert Parry pg 252. November 21, 1807 33. Montana in the Making 1931 by Newton Carl Abbott 34. The Emergence of a National Economy 1775-1815, by Curtis Putnam Nettles 35. The Trail of Lewis and Clark, 1804-1904: A Story of the Great Exploration ... By Olin Dunbar Wheeler 36. FamilySearch.org (IGI & Other Files) 37. http://www.turtleislandstorytellers.net/tis_nebraska/transcript_w_morris.htm 37. History and Stories of Nebraska" by Addison Erwin Sheldon Produced by Connie Snyder 38. Mountain Men and Fur Traders of the Far West: Eighteen Biographical Sketches By Le Roy Reuben Hafen, Harvey Lewis Carter 39. Dictionary of Missouri Biography By Lawrence O. Christensen 40. St. Louis Genealogical Society · #4 Sunnen Drive, Suite 140 · St. Louis, MO 63143 · 314-647-8547 http://www.stlgs.org/efdb/d257.htm#P2147 41. Journal of a Fur-trading Expedition on the Upper Missouri By John C. Luttig, Stella Madeleine Drumm 42. Love Song to the Plains By Mari Sandoz, Bryan Forsyth 43. Early Western Travels, 1748-1846 By Reuben Gold Thwaites (1905) 44. from the Earliest Explorations of the Trans-Mississippi ... By Julius Sterling Morton, Albert Watkins, Augustus Orloff Thomas, James Alexander Beattie, Arthur Cooper Wakeley 45. Biographical dictionary of American business leaders By John N. Ingham 46. Images of the Plains, Brian Blouet & Merlin Lawson; undated 47. Exploration and the Creation of Geographical Images of the , John Allen, Univ of Conn 48. Images of the Northern Great Plains from the Fur Trade, 1807-1843, David Wisart, Beloit College, WI 49. Manuel Lisa’s Fort Raymond, First Post in the West, Raymond Wood 50. Editorial Notes on “Old Fort Pierre and its Neighbors”, Charles DeLand 51. Manuel Lisa, A Scoundrel among Scoundrels, Mary Kion, Oct 5, 2001 52. Explorations into the World of Lewis & Clark, Volume II. 53. Along the Trail, John Logan Allen 54. Scientific Aspects, WR Wood (Pgs 934-938) 55. After Lewis & Clark, Robert Utley 56. Explorations Into the World of Lewis & Clark, Vol 2, Robert Saindon 57. In the Wake of the Red Pirogue, Lewis & Clark and the Exploration of the American West, 1806-1845, John Logan Allen. (Prof of Geography, Univ of CT.)

Chapter 1 –Page 11 of 13

58. Historical Map of Yellowstone County & Crow Nation, 2005 Adrian Heidenreich, Native American Studies MSU, Billings. This map identifies Fort Lisa as being at same location as provided by George Drouillard to William Clark in 1808.Fifty-six Forts are identified on this map. He also places the Big Horn Post (1823) at same location, but slightly to the south of the Lisa Fort. This is probably the 1st Fort Benton, or else there were at least three forts constructed on that specific site, west of the Big Horn River confluence.

59. Crow Indian Oral History Report, 1970-71 (Parmly Billings Library scrapbook-Crow Country). Lodge Grass 8th Grade students queried the tribal elders about their past, and assisted their professor in writing all words down in several volumes. Volume 1 identifies the Manuel Lisa Fort location and where John Colter was in 1808.

Chapter 1 - Page 12 of 13

Chapter 1 –Page 13 of 13