William Sublette
Encyclopedia
William Lewis Sublette Born near Stamford, Lincoln County, Kentucky on September 21, 1798. Died on July 23, 1845 in Pittsburg. W.L. Sublette was a fur trapper, pioneer and mountain man
, who with his brothers after 1823 became an agent of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company
(and later one of its owners) exploiting the riches of the Oregon Country
, which helped settle the best routes later improved into the Oregon Trail
.
He was one of five Sublette brothers prominent in the western fur trade: William, Milton
, Andrew
, Pinkney, and Solomon.
Sublette was one of the leaders among the American mountain men pushing hard against the British companies active in the American
fur trade
in the Pacific Northwest
and against the American Fur Company trappers in the high Rockies and other Incorporated territories of the United States
.
He retired from high-risk (i.e. venturing near hostile Amerindian peoples) trapping activities after being wounded at the Rendezvous of 1832 in the Battle of Pierre's Hole, which some accounts claim he hot-headedly triggered in his actions prior to the gun battle. After recuperating over a year back in St. Louis, he returned to the uplands and founded Fort William, later Fort Laramie in the foothills east of the South Pass
the fort commanded the last eastern stream crossing at the foot of the last ascent to the floor of South Pass; the only route readily navigable by wagons over the continental divide.
In 1823 William was recruited in St Louis by William Henry Ashley
as part of a fur trapping contingent later referred to as Ashley's Hundred
. This was the beginning of a new strategy for conducting the fur trade in response to a change in law in 1822. Liquor had been one of the principal currencies traded to Amerinds; such trafficking had been made illegal. The new scheme set up a Trapper's rendezvous, a teamster-drover team operating the freight bringing in supplies and returning with furs, and a corp of trappers making their circuit to traps they themselves had set as team members.
By 1826, Sublette acquired Ashley's fur business along with Jedediah Smith
and David Edward Jackson
. His brother Milton some years later in the mid-1830s was one of five men who bought the Rocky Mountain Fur Company off his brother William and his partners.
In 1832, Sublette was wounded in the battle of Pierre's Hole
in Idaho
. After some uneventful fur business ventures, he sold Fort William to the American Fur Company
(so it soon became Fort Laramie). Sublette finally retired in St. Louis, Missouri
.
Sublette County in Wyoming and the city of Sublette, Kansas
are named for him.
Mountain man
Mountain men were trappers and explorers who roamed the North American Rocky Mountains from about 1810 through the 1880s where they were instrumental in opening up the various Emigrant Trails allowing Americans in the east to settle the new territories of the far west by organized wagon trains...
, who with his brothers after 1823 became an agent of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company
Rocky Mountain Fur Company
The Rocky Mountain Fur Company, sometimes called Ashley's Hundred, was organized in St. Louis, Missouri in 1823 by General William H. Ashley and Major Andrew Henry . They posted advertisements in St. Louis newspapers seeking "One Hundred enterprising young men . ....
(and later one of its owners) exploiting the riches of the Oregon Country
Oregon Country
The Oregon Country was a predominantly American term referring to a disputed ownership region of the Pacific Northwest of North America. The region was occupied by British and French Canadian fur traders from before 1810, and American settlers from the mid-1830s, with its coastal areas north from...
, which helped settle the best routes later improved into the Oregon Trail
Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail is a historic east-west wagon route that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon and locations in between.After 1840 steam-powered riverboats and steamboats traversing up and down the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri rivers sped settlement and development in the flat...
.
He was one of five Sublette brothers prominent in the western fur trade: William, Milton
Milton Sublette
Milton Green Sublette was an American fur trader, explorer and mountain man. He was the second of four Sublette brothers prominent in the western fur trade; William, Andrew, and Solomon...
, Andrew
Andrew Sublette
Andrew Whitley Sublette, brother to William, Milton, and Solomon, helped established a trading post with Louis Vasquez in 1835. The present day, Fort Vasquez, located on Highway 85, next to Platteville, Colorado, is a reconstruction...
, Pinkney, and Solomon.
Sublette was one of the leaders among the American mountain men pushing hard against the British companies active in the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
fur trade
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
in the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
and against the American Fur Company trappers in the high Rockies and other Incorporated territories of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
He retired from high-risk (i.e. venturing near hostile Amerindian peoples) trapping activities after being wounded at the Rendezvous of 1832 in the Battle of Pierre's Hole, which some accounts claim he hot-headedly triggered in his actions prior to the gun battle. After recuperating over a year back in St. Louis, he returned to the uplands and founded Fort William, later Fort Laramie in the foothills east of the South Pass
South Pass
South Pass is two mountain passes on the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Wyoming. The passes are located in a broad low region, 35 miles broad, between the Wind River Range to the north and the Oregon Buttes and Great Divide Basin to the south, in southwestern Fremont...
the fort commanded the last eastern stream crossing at the foot of the last ascent to the floor of South Pass; the only route readily navigable by wagons over the continental divide.
In 1823 William was recruited in St Louis by William Henry Ashley
William Henry Ashley
William Henry Ashley was a pioneering fur trader, entrepreneur, and politician. Though a native of Virginia, Ashley had already moved to St. Genevieve in what was then called Louisiana, when it was purchased by the United States from France in 1803...
as part of a fur trapping contingent later referred to as Ashley's Hundred
Ashley's Hundred
Ashley's Hundred refers to the men who responded in 1822 to the flyer, "To Enterprising Young Men: The Subscriber wishes to engage One Hundred men to ascend the River Missouri to its source to be employed for one, two, or three years..."...
. This was the beginning of a new strategy for conducting the fur trade in response to a change in law in 1822. Liquor had been one of the principal currencies traded to Amerinds; such trafficking had been made illegal. The new scheme set up a Trapper's rendezvous, a teamster-drover team operating the freight bringing in supplies and returning with furs, and a corp of trappers making their circuit to traps they themselves had set as team members.
By 1826, Sublette acquired Ashley's fur business along with Jedediah Smith
Jedediah Smith
Jedediah Strong Smith was a hunter, trapper, fur trader, trailblazer, author, cartographer, cattleman, and explorer of the Rocky Mountains, the American West Coast and the Southwest during the 19th century...
and David Edward Jackson
David Edward Jackson
David Edward Jackson was an American pioneer, explorer, trader, and fur trapper.He spent his early life west of the Shenandoah Mountains, in what was then part of Virginia and is now in West Virginia: he was born in Randolph County, and his parents, Edward and Elizabeth Jackson, soon moved the...
. His brother Milton some years later in the mid-1830s was one of five men who bought the Rocky Mountain Fur Company off his brother William and his partners.
In 1832, Sublette was wounded in the battle of Pierre's Hole
Pierre's Hole
Pierre's Hole, a shallow valley west of the Teton Range that collects the headwaters of the Teton River in what is today the state of Idaho, was a strategic center of the fur trade of the northern Rocky Mountains...
in Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
. After some uneventful fur business ventures, he sold Fort William to the American Fur Company
American Fur Company
The American Fur Company was founded by John Jacob Astor in 1808. The company grew to monopolize the fur trade in the United States by 1830, and became one of the largest businesses in the country. The company was one the first great trusts in American business...
(so it soon became Fort Laramie). Sublette finally retired in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
.
Sublette County in Wyoming and the city of Sublette, Kansas
Sublette, Kansas
Sublette is a city in and the county seat of Haskell County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,453.-History:...
are named for him.