Fort Jackson Trading Camp

Mountain Men and Life in the Rocky

Subject Guide

Mountain West

Malachite’s Big Hole

Fort Jackson Trade Camp Inventory:

The fur trading forts and posts would commonly send out small trading parties directly to Indian villages and encampments. These trading parties extended the influence of the forts, and reduced opportunities for the opposition to obtain the trade. The size of the trading party depended in part on how far the party was to travel and with whom they were expecting to trade. Dick Wooten went out with a party of 13 men on a trading expedition to the Sioux, whereas Blackfoot John Smith, another experienced trader went out by himself and one other young man to trade with the Cheyenne. The Cheyenne were related by marriage to William Bent and were considered friendly.

Fort Jackson was an American Fur Company post located on the South Platte River just north of present day town of Fort Lupton. Fort Jackson was operated by the American Fur Company and was in competition with Bent St. Vrain & Company for the Indian trade on the central plains of Colorado. Some of the business records from Fort Jackson have survived, including an inventory of goods sent out with a trading party on December 2, 1837 to the Arkansas River. Since Fort Jackson was in direct competition with Bent's Fort for the same Indian customers, the trade goods represented on this inventory are probably similar in quantity and variety to those sent out with trading parties from Bent's Fort. Given below is first a summary of broad categories of trade goods on this inventory and the percent (in dollar amount) that each category represented and then the entire inventory showing item cost and total cost.

Summary of Trade Goods

Catagory of Goods	$ Amount	% Amount
Blankets	$209.02	22.6
Fabrics & Sewing	$159.11	17.2
Clothing	$160.25	17.3
Axes & Knives	$87.66	9.5
Guns	$60.30	6.5
Gun Suppiles	$32.68	3.5
Beads, Bells, Tacks, Shells & Plumes	$96.47	10.4
Kettles	$31.49	3.4
Mirrors, Combs Cosmetics, Rings & Jewelry	$32.26	3.5
Tools, Awls, Fire Steels, Hoes, Files	$10.30	1.1
Foods, Rice Sugar, Coffee	$14.43	1.6
Tobacco	$9.90	1.1
Alcohol	$16.50	1.8
Miscellaneous, Sword, Playing Cards	$3.60	0.4
		100.0
Total	$ 923.97

Note the amount of alcohol on the above summary represents less than two percent of the total inventory. Blankets, fabric and ready made clothing represent just over fifty-five percent of the inventory.

No.	Units	Item Description	Cost	Extended Cost
4	pair	3-point red blankets	$11.01	$44.04
3	pair	3-point green blankets	$9.63	$28.89
3	pair	3-point white blankets, French	$9.63	$28.89
3	pair	3-point blue blankets	$6.90	$20.70
5	pair	3-point white blankets, English	$7.59	$37.95
3	pair	2 ½ point white blankets, English	$6.44	$19.32
4	pairs	2 point white blankets English	$ 3.84	$15.36
5	pairs	1 point white blankets English	$2.77 ½	$13.87
2	pieces	save list blue cloth 38 yards	$ 1.54	$58.65
2	pieces	scarlet cloth 40 yards	$1.55 ½	$62.20
5	each	green blanket capotes	$7.35	$36.75
9	each	red flannel shirts	$1.47 ½	$13.28
7	each	woolen caps	$0.40	$2.80
9	each	Domestic plaid and check shirts	$0.77	$6.93
5	each	Scarlet Chief Coats	$8.25	$41.25
5	each	Blue Chief Coats	$7.70	$38.50
2	pieces	Red ground Calico 59 yards	$0.26 ½	$16.32
1	pieces	cotton furniture check 46 1/4 yard	$0.17	$7.86
1	pieces	cotton stripe 43 yards	$13 ¼	$5.70
1	pieces	bleached domest sheeting 30 yards	$0.14 ½	$4.32
1	?	cotton shawls	$0.96	$0.96
3	pairs	sattinett pantaloons Avge	$3.15	$9.45
2		fur hats	$1.92 ½	$3.85
10	masses	white barleycorn beads	$0.90	$9.00
7 ½	masses	white agate beads	$1.80	$13.50
6	masses	blue agatebeads	$1.68	$10.08
1	masses	red barleycorn beads		$1.20
10	masses	white small barleycorn beads	$0.15	$1.50
8	bunches	spotted Italian beads	$0.60	$4.80
52	pounds	blue and white seed beads	$0.38 ½	$20.02
3	sets	wampum moon shells	$1.50	$4.50
150		turquoise shells	$0.10	$15.00
1	dozen	fox tail plumes		$3.60
½	dozen	red cock plumes	$3.30	$1.65
4	pairs	woolen socks	$0.37 ½	$1.30
1	pounds	linen thread		$0.91
6		leather belts	$0.46	$2.76
9	packs	playing cards	$0.15	$1.35
23	dozen	assorted knives	$2.28	$52.44
1	gross	Indian awls		$1.49
1	dozen	fire steels		$0.60
1 ½	gross	gilt coat buttons	$2.10	$3.15
4	packs	small hawk bells	$0.45	$1.80
4	packs	large hawk bells	$0.72	$2.88
1	m	brass tacks		$0.60
4	dozen	paper covered looking glasses	$0.46	$1.84
6		large Brittania Looking glasses	$0.33	$1.98
6		assorted Brittania Looking glasses	$0.25	$1.50
2	gross	finger rings Avge	$0.90	$1.80
8	dozen	combs	$0.60	$4.80
16		assorted files	$0.14 ½	$2.32
5		battle axes	$1.92 ½	$9.62
25		squaw axes		$20.50
15		common hoes	$0.36 ½	$5.44
6		long fusils	$5.10	$30.60
6		short fusils	$4.95	$29.70
7		powderhorns	$0.82 ½	$5.78
?		flints & gun worms		$1.00
50	pounds	powder	$0.33	$16.50
100	pounds	trade balls	$0.08	$8.00
7	?Nests?	Brass Kettles assorted sizes 30 lbs	$0.62 ½	$18.75
2		Jappaned Kettles	$1.92	$3.84
3	?Nests?	Sheet Iron Kettles 20 lbs	$0.27 ½	$5.50
1		frying pan for use		$0.37
15	gallons	alcohol	$1.10	$16.50
90	pounds	common tobacco	$0.11	$9.90
5		house bells	$0.15	$0.75
50		sleigh bells		$2.50
7		polished bells 6 pounds		$3.09
12	pounds	vermillion	$1.32	$15.84
5 ½	pounds	brass wire	$0.55	$3.03
3	pounds	iron wire	$0.45	$0.45
3		Collins axes	$1.70	$5.10
2		calico shirts	$1.21	$2.42
1	pairs	silver wristbands		$1.50
1		silver half moon gorget		$3.00
1		small sword		$2.25
35	pounds	coffee	$0.16 ½	$5.78
60	pounds	sugar	$0.13 ½	$8.10
10	pounds	rice	$0.05 ½	$0.55
20	pounds	lead for use	$0.07	$1.40
			Total	$937.95

Trade balls are almost certainly lead balls to be used as ammunition, based in part on the position in the inventory with the guns and other shooting supplies, and on the price which is a penny a pound higher than lead. Battle axes may be pipe-tomahawks.

Note that the total here, which came from the original inventory, is not the same as given above for the summary. Errors were made on the original in calculating the extended cost.

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