Talk:Peter A. Sarpy

Confusion about dates and people

These accounts are so confusing. Another account gives the succession as Pilcher/Fontenell at Fontenelle's Post, with Cabanne's Post a separate location, further north on the Missouri River. They were run by two different fur companies. Later Cabanne's Post operations were folded into Fontenelle's. The Fontenelle Forest website said that Fontenelle sold the post in 1832 for its use as a headquarters for the Indian agent. Maybe we need to write down all the posts and their locations, people, dates and sources in one place to try to figure this out and reconcile the conflicts.--Parkwells (talk) 15:08, 8 August 2008 (UTC)

Now I remember - there is archaeological evidence for two sites - Fontenelle's and Cabanne's, so they were definitely in different locations. That trumps other accounts. --Parkwells (talk) 15:19, 8 August 2008 (UTC)

I like the idea of a timeline of fur trading in Nebraska. That's intriguing. • Freechild'sup? 15:44, 12 August 2008 (UTC)

Sarpy

This says he worked at Cabanne's Post, but the article on Fontenelle's said he was hired there in 1823 and it became called Sarpy's Post. Can't be both. I think there are more sources that say Cabanne's, and he is implicated with him on the keelboat stuff.--Parkwells (talk) 18:34, 8 August 2008 (UTC)

Three Sarpys

Yes, one source said there were three men named Sarpy in the early years, which is why it was so hard to figure out what he was doing from about 1820-1830. With all these different articles, it's confusing, but I don't think he was at Fontenelle's; rather, at Cabanne's, as you have here.

Fontenelle's after 1840

The cite you have about the archaeological sites for Fontenelle's and Cabanne's says that both posts were abandoned about 1838-1839; that's from the book discussed by the State Historical Society. I don't know what Sarpy was doing at the Fontenelle site after 1840, but it probably wasn't fur trade, if the post had been abandoned. The fur trade was mostly over by then. Astor got out in 1834, and animals had been overhunted. It is confusing. --Parkwells (talk) 20:55, 8 August 2008 (UTC)

The great bison slaughters weren't over until the 1870s, but I guess by that point the prior fur trade would have been quaint by comparison. Sarpy was around for a while, that's for sure. I'm interested in writing an article about Elk City, Nebraska and the ferry he ran there next. • Freechild'sup? 15:45, 12 August 2008 (UTC)

Edit sections are messed up

Help!? The <edit> links at each sub-header on the page don't apply to the sections which they are next to in the Edit mode- can't find out how to reach the categories or other sections, and have no idea how to fix this.Parkwells (talk) 01:32, 24 August 2011 (UTC)