FIRST RONNY'VOUS
 
 
 
          According to the book, William H. Ashley, by Richard M. Clokey, Univ. of Oklahoma Press, c. 1980, the first great ronnyvous for trappers was held by William H. Ashley in the Summer of 1825.  The location was a basin at the junction of the stream some called the Sketskedee, now called the Green River, on a small creek known as Henrys Fork.  Prior to this, trappers either had to deal with the Hudson's Bay Company, at their prices, or trek all the way back to St. Louis to sell their furs.

         After sending his bands of trappers into the Mountains, Ashley returned to St. Louis, Missouri, to establish himself in politics, but the apparent failure of his trapping enterprise, against which he had borrowed heavily, almost bankrupted him.  However, at the last minute, a letter from the famous trapper, Jedediah Smith (later to become his partner in the Rocky Mountain Fur Company), arrived just in time to reassure Ashley's creditors, and allow him to stock his expedition to the mountains to purchase the furs Smith had described in his letter.

        Though Ashley had expected only his own people to attend the Ronnyvous, he found, much to his pleasure, that many other Mountain Men had heard of the Ronnyvous and had also come to trade.  These were trappers who were tired of dealing with the Hudson's Bay Company.  Also, many Indian tribes had heard of this gathering and wanted to trade for the white mans items such as metal pots, steel knives and arrow heads, trade muskets, woolen blankets, etc...  Ashley saw that trouble might ensue, and set strict guide lines as to the conduct expected from the Indians at Ronnyvous.  Break the rules, and your tribe would not be allowed to attend any in the future.  Surprisingly enough, there were very few infractions of his rules.  Ronnyvous was declared a "peace" zone, and most abided by that.

        As you can expect, the prices were highly inflated. Estimates run from 150% to about 400% of the initial cost of the goods.  As you can see from PRICES, the amounts were a bit stiff, even for today. The Company took a great many riskes getting the goods to Ronnyvous, and felt they deserved to make this huge profit.  The profits from the trade goods, combined with the profit from the furs brought back, were enough to pay off all his debts, establish himself in politics, and have considerable money left over to finance other expeditions.

        The trappers on the payroll of the Company were paid $2 a pound for their furs, as opposed to $3 a pound paid to the free trappers.  Prices varied in later years to as much as $5 a pound until the late 1830s when the importation of silk for hats was started. Virtually, by 1842, all trapping of Beaver had ceased.  The cost of the trade goods meant that though they were credited with a lot of money as they sold their plews, unless they were very conservative with their purchases and drinking, they left with little more than they came to Ronnyvous with.  Frequently, a trapper had to remain with the Company through another season, in hopes of a bountiful year, in order to repay incurred debt to the Company.

        After seeing how profitable this venture was going to be, his partner, Jed Smith, and others, bought out his interest in 1826, and Ashley returned to Missouri for a life as a representative of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company.  Later on in his life, he became a congressman from Missouri.

        NOTE: It is estimated that out of 100 men going into the Mountains to trap, only 16 survived through the first winter.  This some what attests to the rigors of the mountains and the danger that the Mountain Men faced.
 
 

 
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