1832 | Exploration, Colonization
Exploration, Colonization
A 3-year expedition to explore the Rocky Mountains begins May 1 as French-born U.S. Army captain Benjamin Louis Eulalie de Bonneville, 36, leaves Fort Osage on the Missouri River with a wagon train bound for the Columbia River. Bonneville has obtained financial backing at New York and taken a leave of absence to lead the expedition, whose real intent is to enter the fur trade. His party of more than 100 men includes trapper-guide Joseph Reddeford Walker, now 34, of Independence, Missouri.