The Brothers Robidoux and the Opening of the American West

by Robert J. Willoughby

Written in a unique biographical format, Robert Willoughby interweaves the stories of six brothers who shaped the American trans-Mississippi West during the first five decades of the nineteenth century. After migrating from French Canada to St. Louis, the brothers Robidoux—Joseph, Francois, Antoine, Louis, Michel, and Isadore—and their father, Joseph, became significant members in the business, fur trading, and land speculation communities, frequently interacting with upper-class members of the French society.


Upon coming of age, the brothers followed their father into the fur business and American Indian trade. The oldest of the six, Joseph, led the group on an expedition up the Missouri River as Lewis and Clark had once done, designating a path of trade sites along their journey until they reached their destination at present-day Omaha, Nebraska. Eventually the younger brothers set out on their own westward expedition in the mid 1820s, reaching both Colorado and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Joseph eventually became a town founder in northwest Missouri near Blacksnake Creek. Antoine and Louis traveled as far as California, finally settling in Santa Fe where they became prominent citizens. As a trapper and trader, Michel endured many hardships and close calls during his journey across the West. Francois and Isadore made their home in New Mexico, maintaining a close relationship with Joseph in Missouri.


Though frequently under contract by others, the brothers did their best work when allowed to freelance and make their own rules. The brothers would ultimately pass on their prosperous legacy of ranging, exploring, trading, and town-building to a new generation of settlers. As the nature of the fur trade changed, so did the brothers’ business model. They began focusing on outfitting western migrants, town folk, and farmers. Their practices made each of them wealthy; however, they all died poor.


To understand the opening of the American West, one must first know about men like the brothers Robidoux. Their lives are the framework for stories about the American frontier. By using primary sources located at the Missouri Historical Society, the Mexican Archives of New Mexico, and the Huntington Library, as well as contemporary accounts written by those who knew them, Willoughby has now told the Robidouxs’ story.

268 pages, Hardcover

First published October 29, 2012

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 2 out of 5]

First off, let me say that it's clear the author did a ton of very detailed research for this book. He appears to have assembled every scrap of the historical record concerning the Robidoux family. The six brothers and their offspring made key contributions to the development of the United States, from St. Louis to California and many points in between. I learned a lot about the life of a fur trapper during that era. The descriptions of the interactions with the Indians were eye opening. As a native St. Louisan, I encountered many people familiar to me mostly as names of local streets: Pierre Chouteau, William Sublette, Bartholomew Berthold, Thomas Biddle, and so on.

Unfortunately, I can't recommend this book for the casual reader of history. The first half of the book is just flat out boring. Mr. Willoughby may be a great researcher, but he needs a good editor. The first half of the book is chock full of mind-numbing detail that does little to advance the story. Do I need to know the details of every court action brought against a Robidoux, especially considering that there were so many of them? Do I need to know every trip up and down the Missouri that a Robidoux made? Do I need to read every mention of a Robidoux in routine correspondence? To my mind, no. A lot of this information could have been left out or relegated to the end notes.

Occasionally, Willoughby is repetitive. In one section, he tells how Sparta was to be the county seat of one area, but most people wanted the commercial hub of St. Joseph to be the county seat. Then in a later chapter, Willoughby again brings up Sparta not being the county seat, as if he hadn't written about it earlier.

The book does get more interesting in the last few chapters as the pace of the story picks up and the level of trivial detail goes down. Frankly, if the book hadn't improved toward the end, I would have had to award a one-star rating. I did pick up a lot of useful information even in the early chapters of the book, but it was often a chore to do so.

Associate Professor Willoughby clearly is a premier authority on this era and place in history. I really hate to give this book the review I do, but I have to be honest. There is a really good story here that could have been told better. I sympathize with the author because the story has a lot of moving parts, and those types of stories are a challenge. It reminds me of another book I read recently about Queen Elizabeth I that had a similar challenge (a story with a lot of components) and a similar failing (too much confusing detail). You can see my review of that book in Goodreads, also.

Let me end by saying that I applaud the author for his documentation, which too many history authors (or publishers) scrimp on these days. He provides lots of numbered end notes, a bibliography, and a good index. I prefer footnotes to end notes, but at least these are numbered so the reader doesn't have to guess whether or not documentation is provided.