Gun & whiskey traders

[Bum Luck]

Has anyone come across any traces of a seemingly untraceable class of men - gun & whiskey traders?

They would have had an interesting tale to tell if they told any. Some would have met violent deaths, and a lot would have disappeared into the past. For sure, they never showed up in a census.

But they might have left some interesting traces for us metal detectors.

 

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[releventchair]

What little I,ve read had forts as a source or at least a related site. One book example in Thorp and Bunkers Crow Killer has hatchet Jack killing two gun traders who had provided Blackfeet with arms,specifically "needle guns", and Jack polled their heads on the fort, Fort Peck if remembered correctly.. Whisky was mentioned elsewhere but not its source,though a fort was traded at for supplies.

Somewhere in foggy memories past was an account accusing eastern traders supplying trade rendezvous, of diluting whisky before arrival.

 

[Bum Luck]

What little I,ve read had forts as a source or at least a related site. One book example in Thorp and Bunkers Crow Killer has hatchet Jack killing two gun traders who had provided Blackfeet with arms,specifically "needle guns", and Jack polled their heads on the fort, Fort Peck if remembered correctly.. Whisky was mentioned elsewhere but not its source,though a fort was traded at for supplies.

Somewhere in foggy memories past was an account accusing eastern traders supplying trade rendezvous, of diluting whisky before arrival.

Diluting whiskey still goes on today.

I wonder if they ever hid some money; I would have buried it each night near my camp rather then risk theft.

 

[releventchair]

Same book mentions a hollow in a tree near river wood pile that steamer captains put payment in for the wood they took and claim was they never reneged. Seems during season it would be better to cache part of your haul of fur than risk losing it all. So any one with money risked a similar challenge perhaps. Those who died in an untimely or surprise event never reclaimed anything they may have hid for sure.