American Fur Company

Organized in 1808 by John Jacob Astor, the company traded for pelts with both buck skinned trapper and American Indian alike. Their original headquarters was directly across the Minnesota from Fort Snelling (an Army fort built in the V formed by the junction of the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers), but a few years later, the firm had trading posts in Oregon and in 1849 when Fort Laramie was built in Wyoming territory, field operations were started in that area. The executive head of the company was Ramsay Crooks, and its chief buyer was Kenneth McKenzie, "King of the Missouri." Bordeaux Trading Post was originally built for the company. James Bordeaux was a witness to the Grattan Fight, which heavily influenced the warrior Crazy Horse.The tradding post also smuggled weapons to the American Indians to aid in their conflict against the US Army.