Summary of Peter Stark's Astoria

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview: #1 The Astoria expedition was the first major American exploration of the Pacific Northwest, and it was led by William McNeill Duncan, a Scottish fur trader. In 1836, Washington Irving wrote an account of the expedition, which became a bestseller.#2 John Jacob Astor s settlement, Astoria, was the first American colony on the West Coast of North America. It was Astor s vision to capture its wealth, and it was Jefferson s vision to make it a democracy.#3 If Captain Northrup had chosen to dismast the ship, the crew would have been rendered helpless. The ship would have been doomed, and the rescue mission would have been unsuccessful.#4 John Jacob Astor, who was the first American millionaire, was born in Germany. He was five years old when his mother died giving birth to a daughter. His father was a Huguenot, descended from the French Protestants who had fled to other countries such as Germany in the 1600s.