Manuel Lisa

When the Lewis and Clark Expedition arrived in St. Louis in 1803, Spanish citizen Manuel Lisa (8 September 1772–12 August 1820) had four years prior established himself in the fur trade there. Most often in direct competition with Pierre and Auguste Chouteau, Lisa worked with Nations living north of the Platte River such as the Omaha, Ponca, and Lakota [Teton] Sioux. He became an Indian Agent and in 1814 married Mitane, a daughter of a principle chief of the Omahas, thus solidifying his trade relations with that nation.^[1]“Manuel Lisa”, Wikipeida, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_Lisa, accessed 10 March 2025.

During the winter of 1803–04, William Clark—working at camp on the Wood River—negotiated with some of Lisa’s boatmen to help with the first stage of the Missouri River. Meriwether Lewis—working in St. Louis—gave Clark his approval in a letter dated February 18 but mentions that Lisa would need to give his approval.

Relations with Lisa deteriorated just a week before departure. Lewis was very angry with Lisa:

Damn Manuel [Manuel Lisa] and triply Damn Mr. B. [Francis Marie Benoit] They give me more vexation and trouble than their lives are worth.^[2]Lewis to Clark, 18 February 1804 in Letters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition with Related Documents: 1783–1854, ed. Donald Jackson (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1978), 179.

The reason for Lewis’s anger is unknown, but in the years following the expedition, Clark managed to work with the sometimes-wily Lisa. After founding the Missouri Fur Company (1807-1814), in which William Clark was a participant, Manuel Lisa left St. Louis for the Upper Missouri in 1807. Pressing far upstream, he established Fort Raymond at the mouth of the Big Horn River on the Yellowstone River in present-day Montana. This strategic location enabled trade with the Crow and other indigenous tribes, fostering economic growth and cultural exchanges.

During the 1809 season, he built a second post above the Mandan and Hidatsa villages, which served as a crucial trading hub and a point of contact between European traders and the native populations. This post facilitated the exchange of goods such as pelts, beads, and tools with American traders.

One of Lisa’s most famous posts, Fort Manuel Lisa, was built almost astride the modern boundary between North Dakota and South Dakota. Occupied for only a few months, it was abandoned in 1812 when its residents fled back downriver, including Toussaint Charbonneau, whose wife—likely Sacagawea—had recently died there of “a putrid fever”.^[3]John C. Luttig, Journal of a Fur-Trading Expedition on the Upper Missouri, 1812-1813, ed. Stella M. Drumm (St Louis: Missouri Historical Society, 1920), 106.

Fort Manuel Lisa, though short-lived, played a significant role in the fur trade and in the history of the region. Its establishment marked an important moment in the expansion of European influence into the northern plains and the complexities of interactions with the native tribes.

Lisa dominated the upriver trade until his death in 1820. His profits stimulated other parties to focus on the Missouri River, leading to increased competition and the establishment of new trading posts. However, despite much opposition, he maintained a near monopoly on the river for thirteen years, a testament to his strategic acumen and determination.