A Parisan on the Frontier

Benjamin Bonneville was a Brigadier General in the United States Army stationed at Fort Gibson.  Born in Paris in 1796, Bonneville moved with his family to America during the French Revolution.  His original plan was to take a temporary leave of absence from the army for a fur trapping expedition into the central and northern Rockies.

John Jacob Astor, the wealthiest man in America at that time financed the expedition under the American Fur Company.  Actually Bonneville had little interest in fur trapping itself and spent most of his time mapping, setting up temporary forts and investigating routes to the Pacific Ocean.  So much time, that when he reported back to the Army, he said he would need two more years to finish his mission.

Then he met Joseph Walker...next time.