Rocky Mountain Fur Company

The enterprise that will eventually come to be known as the Rocky Mountain Fur Company is established in St. Louis, Missouri in 1822 by William Henry Ashley and Andrew Henry.

Among the original employees, known as "Ashley's Hundred", is Jedediah Smith, who goes on to take a leading role in the company's operations and Jim Bridger, who is among those that buyout Smith and his partners in 1830.

It is Bridger and his partners that give the enterprise the name "Rocky Mountain Fur Company."

The company becomes a pioneer in western exploration, most notably in the Green River Valley.

The operations of other aspiring organizations like the American Fur Company often overlap, causing a fierce rivalry.

Growing competition motivate the trappers to explore and head deeper into the wilderness

This leads to greater knowledge of the topography and to great reductions in the beaver populations.

Eventually the intense competition for fewer and fewer beavers and the transient style of fur hats brings the Rocky Mountain Fur Company down.

Nearly a decade after its founding, the stock holders sell all their shares, leaving behind a legacy in terms of both western settlement and folklore.

The US government, seeking geographic knowledge or travel advice regarding the West, will seek out former members of the company as consultants.

Ashley himself later becomes a congressman whose expertise is Western affairs.

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