John Jacob Astor, a New York merchant, recognized the potential fur market in the Northwest, and financed the next major westward expedition after Lewis and Clark. His objective was to open a trading fort, Fort Astoria, at the mouth of the Columbia River.

Astor financed two simultaneous westward expeditions. The overland party led by Wilson Price Hunt left St. Louis in October 1810, heading up the Missouri River, following the route of Lewis and Clark. The party wintered over near present-day St. Joseph, Missouri, and continued up the river in the spring. Based on advice from some trappers he met, Hunt decided to leave the Missouri River and head directly west by land in July 1811 while in present-day South Dakota. They crossed the Rocky Mountains at today's Union Pass (south of present-day Dubois, Wyoming) and reached the Snake River. Despite warnings from the Indians, Hunt decided to descend the river by canoe, departing on October 19. After nine days on the river, the party reached rapids where one man was killed. After discovering the long series of rapids ahead, the party decided to continue again by land, and traveled what would later become part of the Oregon Trail. After several weeks along the Snake River, they decided in mid-December to cross the Blue Mountains in present-day Oregon to the Columbia River. Substantial hardships followed, and a divided expedition reached Astoria in January and February 1812.

Meanwhile, another group, led by David Stuart, left New York on the Tonquin, a three-masted bark, with Captain Jonathon Thorn to reach the Columbia River via Cape Horn. In his first command, Captain Thorn almost faced a mutiny before the ship even left port in September 1810. It is not a happy voyage, but the Tonquin reaches the Columbia in March 1811, and the expedition established Astoria.

In June 1812, a small party led by Robert Stuart, David's nephew, headed east from Astoria to report to Astor. Stuart discovered South Pass during a winter passage, and began the descent along the Platte River in the spring. They descended the Missouri River in a canoe, reaching St. Louis in April 1813. Stuart continued on horseback and stage, and reached New York in June.

Astor's expeditions had two major impacts:

Images follow the routes of the overland journeys of Hunt and Stuart approximately, but were not necessarily obtained during the same seasons as traveled by the expeditions. There are currently no images for the portion of Hunt's overland trip from the Missouri River to the Snake River. Many images show the changed conditions since these expeditions.

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All images are registered as David Lincoln. All rights reserved. Images may not be reproduced, including copying or saving a digital image file, or altered without the written authorization of David Lincoln, who should be contacted for information regarding commercial or personal use.