John Jacob Astor forms the Pacific Fur Company
- When
- 1810
- Where
- New York City
- Episodes
- 1
John Jacob Astor formed the Pacific Fur Company in New York City in June 1810. Astor and partners signed a provisional agreement on 23 June 1810, establishing the venture as a subsidiary of his American Fur Company. The company was created to begin fur trading in the Oregon Country, with management and trappers sent to the Pacific Coast in autumn 1810.
Episodes
Background and detail
Background. John Jacob Astor was a German-born American businessman who made his fortune in the fur trade. He established the American Fur Company in 1808. The Pacific Fur Company was created as a subsidiary of the American Fur Company to begin fur trading in the Oregon Country. Astor funded the venture wholly, aiming to expand commercial operations on the Pacific Ocean.
Formation and Agreement. Astor and his partners met in New York City on 23 June 1810 to sign the Pacific Fur Company's provisional agreement. The company was wholly owned and funded by Astor. Key figures were based in Montreal from May to July 1810, preparing for the venture. Astor purchased the ship Tonquin in 1810 to start commercial operations on the Pacific Ocean.
People involved
- John Jacob Astor · Founder and Funder
- Jonathan Thorn · Ship Commander
Sources
- Pacific Fur Company Wikipedia, revision of 2026-05-31
- Astoria, Oregon Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-13
- John Jacob Astor Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-02
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.