Astoria: Astor and Jefferson's Lost Pacific Empire: A Tale of Ambition and Survival on the Early American Frontier

I’ve actually been to Astoria, Oregon. Years ago, I was slated to cruise Mexico, when an outbreak of swine flu sent the ship north instead of south (Hello, Seattle; Good bye, Cabo). I remember it was a pretty town, highly picturesque, but don’t believe we learned much of its history in the roughly six hours we were there. In reading Peter Stark’s Astoria, I set out to rectify that, and what I learned was fascinating. 

Astoria was John Jacob Astor’s dream: a man ahead of his time, Astor recognized the importance of the Pacific and especially of international trade, particularly of the transpacific variety. Astoria was to be his base, the geographic location by which the world’s richest man would become even richer. From the start, though, the venture was beset by trouble, and no small amount of tragedy. The Overland Party, which intended to cross the continent Lewis and Clark style, met with countless delays before being forced to split up and make their way as best they could.

Those who went by boat, and in the pre-Panama Canal days, the Tonquin had to round the tip of South America to sail from New York to the Pacific Northwest, fared little better. (Except for the stop in Hawaii in its royal heyday. That I wanted to read more of, no question.) And once they made it, those who did, found themselves face-to-face with the tribes who had hunted, fished, trapped, and for all intents and purposes, owned this land for time immemorial. To say their encounters did not often go well is to understate things.  

Once the U.S.declared war on the British, things got really interesting, for not only did the British trading companies have their eye on this same piece of land, but many of Astor’s partners and agents were, themselves, British subjects. For those wondering how it all ends, here's a hint: the title of the book refers to a "lost Pacific empire."

All of this Stark recounts succinctly and with an engaging style that kept me turning the pages and plowing through the text. Compared to the “Wild West,” which was peopled with the likes of Billy the Kid and Doc Holliday, the opening and history of the Northwest was tame. Likely for the same reason, its history is often overlooked, an omission Stark works to correct with Astoria. Anyone with an interest in American history should enjoy reading his work very much.

Four stars.