Astoria - John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson's Lost Pacific Empire (Peter Stark, 2014)

Book club selection (via PJ; session held October 16, 2016).

Everyone seemed to enjoy this book a great deal, and find it useful; I certainly did.  PJ and I are pretty much obsessed with the little town of Astoria, and I wish I had read this backstory prior to our several visits.

The author covers a lot of ground, effectively.  Astor as German immigrant in New York; rising in the years following the Revolutionary War.  Making his way in various businesses, with emphasis on fur-trading and Manhattan real estate.  Lewis and Clark expedition returns; Jefferson (and others) anxious to see U.S. interests established in the Pacific northwest.  Astor conceives a grand scheme involving Astor-controlled ships circling from New York to Hawaii to the Pacific northwest to China to Europe and back to New York.  The Pacific northwest stop would involve picking up furs obtained via a network of Astor-controlled traders and inland posts.

To be established by sending a boat around Cape Horn, and an overland party across the entire U.S. (to pretty much follow the Lewis and Clark route, but Blackfoot animosity encouraged re-routing to an entirely new trail) (which in turn led to development of the Oregon Trail).

Astor's ideas were really ambitious, and came rather close to fruition.

Lots of elements I liked; here are a few -

--Descriptions of life on the sailing ship (the Tonquin) among the best I've seen - author had some personal experience on these boats and communicated well the small size, cramped quarters, inability of crew and passengers to find any space, personality clashes, length of trip, hygiene and diet challenges, etc.

--Descriptions of canoeing and voyageurs - best I've seen - boat size, capacity, rowing speed, amount of time, schedules - all this was better organized than I had imagined.  Portages up to 40 miles; carrying 180 pounds of pelts; etc.

--Missing spots on the map - just 200 years ago, in North America.

--Interactions with Native Americans.  The wealthy Native Americans in the Pacific northwest.  Incredibly helpful guide - in addition to invaluable services, she gives birth along the overland party's route.

--The travails of the overland party - enduring incredible challenges - those stories don't get old.

--Personalities of the various leaders selected by Astor.

--Early attempts to cross the Bar.

--Rivalry with British (and others to some extent).

--Establishing the town.