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Moses
"Black" Harris
Almost nothing is
known of Moses “Black” Harris prior to his entry into the fur trade.
Based on an interview with Harris published in the St. Louis
Democrat on
June 12, 1844
, Harris was probably a native of
Union County
,
South Carolina
. The nickname “Black” was
given to Harris because of the dark coloration of his skin.
Alfred Jacob Miller (reference)
observed in 1837 that Harris “was wiry of
frame, made up of bone and muscle with a face composed of tan leather and
whipcord finished up with a peculiar blue black tint, as if gun powder had
been burnt into his face." Harris
was famous as a man of “great leg” able to walk great distances alone
and for extended periods (James Beckwourth reference).
Numerous times Harris made winter treks out of the mountains to
St. Louis
carrying dispatches and other communications.
Indeed, throughout what we know of Moses “Black” Harris' life,
he never seemed able to settle down for any length of time, seeming to
prefer to be in continual motion back and forth across the west.
Harris probably
was a member of William Ashley’s first brigade
to the mountains in 1822. In
1823 Harris accompanied Ashley’s second expedition up the
Missouri River
to the mountains. Passing the Arikara
villages was always difficult and this year it would prove disastrous for
Ashley. On
June 1, 1823
Ashley along with Jedediah Smith, James
Clyman, Moses "Black" Harris and others fought in a ruinous
engagement on the beach at the fortified Arikara Indian village. The
trappers were routed with great loss of life..
It is likely that Harris was a member of the "Missouri Legion"
a mixed force of military regulars, trappers from Ashley's and Pilcher's
outfits, and Sioux Indians, all under the nominal command of Colonel
Leavenworth. Leavenworth returned with this force to attack the
Arikara village in an abortive campaign to chastise the Indians late in
the summer. After the Indians
were dispersed (though hardly chastised), Ashley equipped his men with
horses so that they could proceed overland to the mountains rather than
following the river. The
expedition was split into two brigades, one under Jedediah Smith
proceeding to the Crow Indian country, the other under Colonel Henry
returning to resupply Henry’s established post at the confluence of the
Yellowstone
and Missouri Rivers. Harris apparently
accompanied Henry’s brigade. In
December 1823 Harris along with two other men were sent down to report to
Colonel Leavenworth at
Fort
Atkinson
of the unsettled and dangerous conditions existing for the trappers on the
upper
Missouri River
country, mainly from the Blackfoot Indians.
Harris continued on to
St. Louis
where he reported to the Missouri Intelligencer that seven members of
Henry’s party had been killed by the Blackfeet, several horses had been
stolen, and that desertions by the men were common.
Late in 1825
Jedediah Smith, and a party including Harris, left for the mountains with
supplies for Ashley’s trappers who
were wintering over in the mountains.
Bad weather had stalled the brigade, food was running low and the
horses were dying. Rations for
the men were reduced to one cup of flour per day.
The situation worsened when the men couldn’t find a
village
of
Loup Pawnee
who they were counting on to obtain supplies and fresh horses.
Harris and Jim Beckwourth were sent
back to
St. Louis
to report the need for more horses to Ashley.
Ashley returned the following spring, and the combined parties
continued on to the mountains. Ashley
sent Smith and Harris on ahead to inform the company trappers in the
mountains that supplies were on the way, and that the summer rendezvous
would be held in Cache Valley (1825
Rendezvous). Before the
supply train reached the rendezvous, a small party of four trappers
circumnavigated the
Great Salt Lake
by boat, searching unsuccessfully for the elusive
Buenaventura
River. Harris is believed to have
been one of the four men in this party.
By 1824 Jim Beckwourth (reference)
states that Moses Harris was an “old and experienced mountaineer” and
that Ashley “reposed the strictest confidence for his knowledge of the
country and his familiarity with Indian life.”
William Ashley
soon had enough of the uncertainties of fur trade and hardships of life in
the mountains. At the 1826
Rendezvous Ashley sold out his interests in the company to Jedediah
Smith, David Jackson, and William Sublette, the new company being
known as the Smith, Jackson and Sublette.
At the breakup of rendezvous, the three partners each took out a
separate brigade of trappers out for the fall hunt.
Harris apparently accompanied Sublette’s brigade. It
was at this time that Sublette’s brigade passed through the
Yellowstone
Park
area, and observed the geysers, mudpots, and petrified forests in the
area. Based on his
observations, Harris stretched and embellished the truth till he had
established his reputation as a storyteller.
George Ruxton (reference) says
“…and the darndest liar was Black Harris-for lies tumbled out of his
mouth like boudins out of a buffler’s stomach.
He was the child as saw the putrified forest…”
To read Harris' tale about the "Putrified Forest follow this link.
In selling the
company to Smith, Jackson and Sublette, Ashley had agreed that he would
outfit and lead a supply train to the mountains in 1827 providing the
partners would send him a dispatch prior to March 1.
William Sublette and Black Harris left the
Salt
Lake
Valley
on
January 1, 1827
with the order for supplies. Because
of deep snows the men traveled on foot with snowshoes, accompanied by an
Indian trained pack dog. The
men each carried packs of dried buffalo meat, and the dog was loaded with
50 pounds of sugar, coffee, and other supplies.
While enroute, the men endured severe snowstorms and sub-zero
temperatures. Eventually, with
starvation looming, the men killed and ate the dog.
They arrived in
St. Louis
on March 4, 1827
.
Although there is
no documentation of his whereabouts for the next several years, it is
likely that Harris returned to the mountains with the supply train bound
for the 1827 Rendezvous.
Harris next
appears in the records during the winter of 1829-1830 in a brigade of
trappers under Jedediah Smith and William Sublette.
The brigade had been bogged down by conditions of deep snow in the
mountains. Food was scarce and
as many as 100 pack animals were lost (Joe Meek, reference).
Smith’s brigade eventually forced their way down to the plains of
the
Big Horn
River
where they united with another brigade of about 40 trappers lead by Milton
Sublette. The combined parties
cached their furs and continued on to the
Wind River Valley
where they established their winter encampment about Christmas.
On Christmas Day, William Sublette, again accompanied by Moses
Harris, set out for
St. Louis
with an order for supplies and goods from Ashley.
The men once more traveled on foot, accompanied by a dog team which
hauled their supplies and belongings.
The two men had learned much about winter travel since their
previous trip in 1827, and made good time, reaching
St. Louis
by
February 11, 1830
.
Harris drops from
view for several years, but he probably accompanied the supply train up
the 1830 Rendezvous.
At rendezvous in 1830, Smith, Jackson and Sublette sold out their
interest in the company to Thomas Fitzpatrick, James Bridger, Milton
Sublette, Henry Fraeb and Jean Gervais, a partnership which was then known
as the Rocky Mountain Fur Company.
It is unknown as
to whether Harris didn’t care for the change in management, or if there
was another reason, but Harris chose to end his association with the
company. During the 1831-32
season Harris worked for the Upper Missouri Outfit (American Fur Company)
as a trapper out of Fort
Union.
He and a small
party were present at the Green River
Rendezvous in 1833. His
party’s horses had all been stolen by Arikara Indians and the men came
in on foot, lugging seven packs of beaver furs.
Subsequent to
selling out to the partners in the Rocky Mountain Fur Company, William
Sublette and Robert Campbell formed a partnership to procure supplies and
trade goods and to outfit pack trains to supply the Rocky Mountain Fur
Company in the mountains. In
1834 Harris was one of the men with Sublette taking a supply train to the
mountains. The caravan stopped
at the confluence of the
Laramie and
North Platte
Rivers, where Sublette left behind a contingent of men and supplies to establish
Fort
William
(Laramie). While at
rendezvous, Sublette called in debts owed by the Rocky Mountain Fur
Company to Sublette and Campbell, forcing the Rocky Mountain Fur Company
to dissolve.
The rendezvous'
continued to be held, however, the mountain trade was now dominated by the
American Fur Company and its affiliated organizations.
In 1836 Harris was acting as guide for the supply train going to
rendezvous under the leadership of Thomas Fitzpatrick (1836 Rendezvous).
The Whitman-Spalding missionary party accompanied the supply
caravan as far as the rendezvous, before heading further west to the
Oregon Country in the protective presence of Hudson Bay Company men.
Fitzpatrick and
Harris again lead the supply caravan to the Horse
Creek Rendezvous in 1837. Sir
William Drummond Stewart, who had been a part of the rendezvous scene
since 1833,
was present again at the 1837 Rendezvous.
However, this year he brought along an artist to help preserve the
scenes of mountain life. Alfred
Jacob Miller, an American artist who had studied in Europe, made hundreds of sketches of Indians, mountain men, encampments, hunting
and other every day activities, including a drawing of Moses Black Harris,
entitled Trappers. At left is
Miller's drawing. Harris is believed to be the man shown sitting
upright.
1838 was the year
of the “secret” rendezvous (1838
Rendezvous).
The business environment in the mountains had become increasingly
cut-throat, and the American Fur Company decided to keep the location of
the rendezvous as quiet as possible in hopes that the
Hudson’s Bay Company would fail to appear.
Of course word of the location had to be spread, or the hunters,
trappers and Indians wouldn’t have known where to assemble.
The ploy wasn’t successful as a brigade of
Hudson’s Bay Company under Francis Ermatinger also arrived at the rendezvous.
Andrew Drips was leader of the supply caravan this year with Harris
again acting as guide. The
caravan also included another party of missionary couples, the Grays,
Eells, Walkers, and Smiths. A
more fractious group of people purporting to share a goal would be hard to
imagine. The individuals and couples of the missionary party, by turns
hated and quarreled with each other, but were united only in their disgust
for the unspeakable and appalling sin they were forced to witness and even
participate in. Imagine being
forced to travel on a Sunday! Andrew
Drips at one point offered (threatened) to leave the missionaries behind,
however, even they had enough sense to realize their chances of survival
were slim without the protection provided by the supply train.
The caravan arrived at
Fort William
(Laramie) on
June 2, 1838. Shortly thereafter, Drips
sent Harris on ahead to spread word of the location of the rendezvous.
At a rundown log structure at
the site of the Green River rendezvous
Harris posted a note scrawled
in charcoal on the door. The
note read “Come on to the Popoasia, plenty of whisky and white women.”
The note demonstrates a definite sense of humor on the part of
Harris, because he well knew from traveling with the missionaries that any
trapper expecting to have a good time, friendly conversation, or to even
receive a warm greeting from this particular group of white women was
likely to be greatly disappointed.
By 1839 the trade
in beaver pelts had drastically declined, both in number and value.
Harris was in charge of leading the supply caravan to rendezvous
this year (1839 Rendezvous).
Because of the decline in the trade, the caravan was small,
consisting of only four two-wheeled carts, each carrying 800-900 pounds of
goods. A German tourist, Dr.
Frederick Wislizenus (reference),
traveled along with the caravan to rendezvous.
In his account of the trip he described Harris as “a mountaineer
without special education, but with five good senses, that he well knew
how to use.” At rendezvous
Wislizenus further describes the kinds of trade goods, prices, living
conditions, and leisure distractions available to the mountain men.
In 1840 Andrew
Drips lead another small supply train to rendezvous (1840
Rendezvous). This year
would be the last of the mountain rendezvous.
Missionaries, including Father De Smet, again accompanied the pack
train, with the ultimate goal of the Oregon Country.
Harris offered to guide the missionaries from the rendezvous site
to as far as
Hudson’s Bay Company’s Fort Hall.
It’s not known what his charge was to be, but the missionaries
considered his price to high. Instead
they hired Robert “Doc” Newell. Apparently
Harris considered this interfering in business negotiations and he took a
shot at Newell with his rifle but missed.
With the decline
of the trade in beaver fur and the end of the rendezvous system, Harris
chose to utilize his knowledge of the mountains and west as a guide to
emigrant trains heading to
Oregon. In 1844, Harris guided west
one of the largest immigrant companies formed in that year.
James Clyman, who was also part of
Ashley’s company in the mid 1820's, and who also must have known Harris
since that time, was traveling the
Oregon Trail
that summer. Of Harris, Clyman
notes “all of us seated ourselves around our camp fire and listened to
the hair-breadth escapes of Mr. Harris and other Mountaineers.” (reference)
Harris spent the
next couple of years in
Oregon
at times searching for a wagon friendly route through the
Cascade Mountains, and at other times rescuing immigrant parties. In 1847 he returned to
Missouri
and to guiding immigrant companies west.
In the spring of
1849 he had accepted a contracted as guide with an immigrant party and had
lead them as far west as
Independence,
Missouri. While at
Independence
he contracted cholera, and within a few
hours died. A description of
his passing appeared in the Independence Daily Union on May 14th
authored by “Gerald.” “Within
the last 24 hours I have seen the eyes close in death, of three
individuals at the hotel ….all victims of cholera, after but a few hours
warning. The first was
“Black Harris,” the well known mountain guide.
He had been chosen to lead us across the
Rocky Mountains
, but poor fellow, he goes before us on another journey.
He seemed to every one who knew him to be a “bird alone” in the
wild world, without “kith or kin” to care for or leave behind, to
lament his death. But in [his]
last moments he whispered to a bystander that away in the mountain
fastnesses, far from the haunts of any other white man, among some unknown
tribe of Indians, he had a wife and two children, the only objects on
earth for which he could desire to live.
He would communicate nothing further on the subject, only the
request to spread the news as we passed on, that Black Harris was dead and
his family would soon learn his fate.
Thus it appears the life of this simple mountaineer like that of
other men if it were but known was chequered by its share of unchronicled
romance.”
There is no other
indication that Harris had a wife or family.
For more information about
Moses “Black” Harris see:
The
Mountain Men and the Fur Trade of the Far West, Volume IV; edited by
LeRoy R Hafen
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