In which the author recounts his early fascination with the adventurous fur traders of the Northwest and narrates the genesis of his desire to relate the story of John Jacob Astor’s ambitious enterprise to extend the fur trade to the Pacific shores. With access to journals, letters, and various accounts, he undertakes to weave these scattered narratives into a cohesive history that illuminates the wild and little-known regions of the continent along with the varied characters encountered therein.