A search had commenced for a suitable…

A search had commenced for a suitable governor for the Louisiana territory following the death of Meriwether Lewis in October 1809.

Jophn Jacob Astor Astor hoped to propose a solution with his proposed route west.

Astor's plans are to create a company that aims to control the entire existing fur trade, as well as extend it all the way to the Pacific.

However, the British have claims to the area Astor hopes to control with the establishment of The Pacific Fur Company.

Astor's plans are not only in defiance of the British, but the organization of the Astoria party is also not welcomed by established companies including the North West and the Hudson Bay Company.

Another trade war is plausible, due to the organization and implementation of such an organized group.

Just as other American fur merchants refuse, Astor will not "concede so lucrative a trade to their British and Canadian counterparts without a spirited contest."

Astor, understanding his proposal for the expedition to be as much political as it is commercial, needs to get the support of the government in order to be successful in his endeavor.

Astor, along with his Canadian partners, Alexander McKay, Duncan McDougall, and Donald Mackenzie, meet in New York to sign the Pacific Fur Company's provisional agreement on June 23, 1810 (by which time President James Madison had appointed Kentucky Congressman Benjamin Howard as governor).

Astor owns a one-half interest in the Pacific Fur Company (half of the shares being held by the American Fur Company, which is solely owned by Astor).

The other half-interest of the Pacific Fur Company is divided among working partners, each owning two-and-a-half to five shares (with some shares held in reserve).

The working partners will all venture to the Columbia River, either overland or by ship.