An Interesting look into
John Jacob Astor and the American Fur Trade

Upon winning the Revolutionary War Americans were filled with a compulsion to manifest their destiny. They were Gods chosen people after all. What could possibly come in the way of them achieving what was their God given right, their destiny? The fur trade draws its roots from early exploration in America. The fur trade was an entirely simple concept that relied on pillaging mother nature's resources to turn the dollar. The fur trade set the mold for the modern day American corporations. It was the first industry in U.S. history to receive a federal subsidy; which is a form of government assistance to help out with financial needs and accommodations (sounds kinda of familiar to thecompanies of today eh?). Fur trading has been going on for centuries, dating back to Jacques Cartier (an explorer from France who would go on to claim what is currently Canada for France) who set voyage through the Canadian wilderness almost five hundred years ago. This industry is a cornerstone in the American business realm, and also in pioneering the early Pacific North West. The company that managed to get set up first in the new west was an upstart business that went by the name of the Pacific Northwest Company. They were an early titan among American big business. Their founder was John Jacob Astor. "John Jacob Astor, the son of a farmer, was born in Waldorf, Germany in 1763. When he was sixteen he moved to London to work with his brother who had started a business making musical instruments. While in England he heard from a friend that there was good money to be made buying and selling furs in America." They would set the mold for future business endeavors among American business and industrialization. They managed to establish a trading post up in the Pacific Northwest coast. This was the Pacific