John Day – Frontiersman – Legends of America
John Day, a name etched into the annals of American frontier history, stands as a testament to the resilience, courage, and adaptability of the men who dared to venture into the untamed wilderness of the early 19th century. Born around 1770 in Culpeper County, Virginia, Day’s life unfolded as a tapestry woven with threads of exploration, survival, and the relentless pursuit of opportunity. He was a fur trapper and frontiersman who worked for both the Pacific Fur Company and the North West Company.
Early Life and Frontier Beginnings
The echoes of revolution still resonated across the nascent United States when John Day entered the world. Growing up in the Virginia countryside, he likely imbibed the spirit of independence and self-reliance that characterized the era. As a young man, Day followed the westward pull, making his way through Kentucky to Missouri in 1798, ultimately settling in Franklin County.
Missouri, at the time, was a frontier territory brimming with potential. Day, ever the resourceful pioneer, seized the opportunities that lay before him. He secured two Spanish land concessions, totaling approximately 800 acres, a significant holding that allowed him to establish a foothold in this new land. There, he embraced the multifaceted life of a frontiersman, dividing his time between farming, hunting, and trapping.
His skills and ambition were not confined to agriculture and the fur trade. In 1809, Day demonstrated his entrepreneurial spirit by establishing a saltpeter mining operation. Saltpeter, a crucial ingredient in gunpowder, was in high demand, making Day’s venture a potentially lucrative one. This early foray into mining foreshadowed his later involvement in the burgeoning fur trade, where he would leave an indelible mark.
The Pacific Fur Company and the Perils of the Wilderness
The year 1810 marked a pivotal moment in John Day’s life. He was hired by the ambitious entrepreneur John Jacob Astor to join the Pacific Fur Company expedition. Astor, a visionary businessman, sought to establish a fur trading empire in the Pacific Northwest, and Day’s skills and experience made him a valuable asset to the venture.
Day joined the trapping party as they embarked on a grueling journey along the Missouri River, bound for Fort Astoria in present-day Oregon. The expedition was fraught with challenges, as the men navigated treacherous waterways, battled harsh weather conditions, and faced the constant threat of encounters with Native American tribes.
As the group ventured into the rugged terrain of Idaho, Day’s resilience was put to the ultimate test. He was tasked with caring for a sick member of the party, a man named Ramsey Crooks. This seemingly simple assignment soon devolved into a harrowing ordeal that would push Day to the brink of survival.
Over the ensuing months, Day and Crooks faced a litany of hardships. Day succumbed to scurvy, a debilitating disease caused by vitamin C deficiency. They fended off a ferocious wolf attack, their meager supplies dwindled, and they teetered on the edge of starvation. Yet, against all odds, the two men persevered, driven by an indomitable will to survive.
Their trials were far from over. As they neared the Columbia River, disaster struck. The two men were robbed and stripped naked by Indians near the mouth of the river that now bears Day’s name in Eastern Oregon. Left to die in the unforgiving wilderness, they faced certain death.
Undeterred, they continued westward along the Columbia River. Finally, they were rescued by members of the Astor party and arrived at Fort Astoria in April 1812.
Questions of Sanity and a Tumultuous Return
Even after enduring such immense suffering, Day’s trials were not yet over. In June 1812, he was dispatched with Robert Stuart and his party on a journey to St. Louis. However, just two days into the trip, Stuart grew concerned about Day’s mental state, claiming that he was acting strangely and exhibiting suicidal tendencies.
Stuart made the controversial decision to pay an Indian to return Day to Astoria, accompanied by a letter that cast doubt on the veracity of Day’s alleged madness, suggesting that it might be a ruse to avoid the arduous journey. When Day arrived back at Astoria, he appeared to be in good health, displaying no signs of mental instability.
This episode remains shrouded in mystery, leaving historians to speculate about the true nature of Day’s behavior and Stuart’s motivations. Was Day genuinely suffering from a mental breakdown, or was he simply overwhelmed by the cumulative effects of his recent hardships? Did Stuart have ulterior motives for wanting to remove Day from the expedition? These questions may never be definitively answered, adding another layer of intrigue to the John Day story.
Service with the North West Company and Final Years
In 1813, Fort Astoria and all other assets in the area were sold to the North West Company. Day then spent the next eight years hunting and trapping for the new company, mainly in the Willamette Valley and the inland northwest. In 1820 he was at the winter camp of Donald MacKenzie in Butte County, Idaho. He died there on February 16, 1820, and was buried nearby.
Legacy
John Day’s name has been immortalized in the landscape of the Pacific Northwest. Several geographical features bear his name, including two rivers, a county, two cities, a dam, a reservoir, and the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. These enduring landmarks serve as a testament to the lasting impact of this remarkable frontiersman.
Washington Irving, the renowned author, captured the essence of John Day’s character in his writings. He described Day as a tall man with a "handsome, open, manly countenance." At the age of 40, he was "a prime woodsman, and an almost unerring shot" with "an elastic step as if he trod on springs." These words paint a vivid portrait of a man at the peak of his physical and mental prowess, a true embodiment of the frontier spirit.
John Day’s life story is a testament to the courage, resilience, and adaptability of the men who shaped the American West. His name will forever be associated with the spirit of adventure and exploration that defined this transformative period in American history.