Andrew Henry (fur trader)
Andrew Henry | |
---|---|
Born | c. 1775 |
Died | January 10, 1832 (aged c. 56) |
Nationality | American |
Occupation(s) | Miner, bullet maker, manufacturer, army officer, frontiersman, trapper, fur trader, entrepreneur, hunter, explorer |
Known for | Being the co-owner of the successful Rocky Mountain Fur Company, otherwise known as "Ashley's Hundred," and leader of Hugh Glass's expedition |
Major Andrew Henry (c. 1775 – January 10, 1832) was an American miner, army officer, frontiersman, trapper and entrepreneur. Alongside William H. Ashley, Henry was the co-owner of the successful Rocky Mountain Fur Company, otherwise known as "Ashley's Hundred", for the famous mountain men working for their firm from 1822 to 1832.[1] Henry appears in the narrative poem the Song of Hugh Glass, which is part of the Neihardt's Cycle of the West. He is portrayed by John Huston in the 1971 film Man in the Wilderness and by Domhnall Gleeson in the 2015 film The Revenant, both of which depict Glass's bear attack and journey.
Early life
Henry was born in or around 1776 in Fayette County, in the Province of Pennsylvania, and was tall and slender, with dark hair, blue eyes, and a reputation for honesty. Henry went to Nashville, Tennessee, in his twenties, but moved on to Spanish Upper Louisiana Territory in 1800 (before the Louisiana Purchase), to the lead mines near present-day Potosi, Missouri, and in 1806, he bought a share of a lead mine.[2]
Career
In 1807, he joined with
After many difficulties, especially with the
In 1818, Henry married Mary Flemming, daughter of one of the owners of the lead mine. Mary Flemming was of French birth and considerably younger than Henry; the marriage was a happy one for them both and produced four children. Henry returned to lead mining.[2]
In 1822, he started what would become the Rocky Mountain Fur Company with
In 1824, after a profitable season Henry retired from the company and returned, once more, to lead mining.[1] He died in Washington County, Missouri on January 10, 1832.[1]
In popular culture
The actor
References
- ^ a b c d National Park Service: Andrew Henry.
- ^ a b Lindsley, Margaret Hawkes. 1990. Andrew Henry: Mine and Mountain Major. Jelm Mountain Publications. 374 pp.
- ^ "Fort Henry (1) - FortWiki Historic U.S. and Canadian Forts". Retrieved 23 January 2017.
- ^ "Fort Henry (2) - FortWiki Historic U.S. and Canadian Forts". Retrieved 23 January 2017.
- ^ W. Raymond Wood. First Post in the Far West: (November 1807 – March 1813). Discovering Lewis & Clark. Archived 2012-05-12 at the Wayback Machine (See Figure 6)
- ^ "Hugh Glass Meets the Bear on Death Valley Days". Internet Movie Database. March 24, 1966. Retrieved September 9, 2015.