Mountain West

Malachite’s Big Hole

Iron & Steel Tools:

Iron and steel tools of all sorts were in demand both by the Mountain Men and the Indians.  Steel and iron knives, axes, tomahawks and awls were all far superior to traditional Indian stone tools.  Awls and fire steels, because they were such low cost items, were often given away as presents to create a friendly atmosphere prior to beginning a trade session with the Indians. 

Pipe-tomahawks were almost certainly amongst the trade items shipped to the mountains, although they do not show up on any of the inventories as such.  It is quite likely they were simply described as "tomahawks" or "hatchets."  One inventory (Fort Jackson Trade Camp Inventory) lists “War Axes” which may have been pipe-tomahawks.  Follow this link for more information regarding pipe-tomahawks.   

Saws, augers, files, and other woodworking tools could have been used by both personnel of the pack train for making repairs along the trail, and for use by the mountain men and even the Indians would have had use for such tools.

The quantities shown in the following table are a representative composite of those documented in trade records as having been packed to rendezvous.  Prices are St. Louis costs, not "Mountain Prices."   

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