William Alexander Aitken, also known as William Alexander Aitkin (–1851), was a fur trader with the

Ojibwe The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...

in the Upper Mississippi region. He was at first affiliated with the

American Fur Company The American Fur Company (AFC) was founded in 1808, by John Jacob Astor, a German immigrant to the United States. During the 18th century, furs had become a major commodity in Europe, and North America became a major supplier. Several British co ...

, founded by

John Jacob Astor John Jacob Astor (born Johann Jakob Astor; July 17, 1763 – March 29, 1848) was a German-American businessman, merchant, real estate mogul, and investor who made his fortune mainly in a fur trade monopoly, by smuggling opium into China, and ...

, but after 1838 he set up as an independent trader, based in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

Biography

Aitken was a native of

Edinburgh, Scotland Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

. He came to the Upper

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

region around 1802 after immigrating to Canada. There he was employed by John Drew, a trader in the Mackinac area. Aitken worked as a clerk in

; he was assigned to William Morrison's Fond du Lac Department. In 1831, Aitken became the Department's chief trader, establishing his headquarters at

Sandy Lake, Minnesota Sandy Lake is an unincorporated community Native American village located in Turner Township, Aitkin County, Minnesota, United States. Its name in the Ojibwe language is ''Gaa-mitaawangaagamaag'', meaning "Place of the Sandy-shored Lake". The ...

. He had trading posts in the Fond du Lac District, which went as far to the west as

Pembina, North Dakota Pembina () is a city in Pembina County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 512 at the 2020 census. Pembina is located south of the Canada–US border. Interstate 29 passes on the west side of Pembina, leading north to the Canada� ...

, to the north as

Rainy Lake Rainy Lake ( French: '; Ojibwe: ') is a freshwater lake with a surface area of that straddles the border between the United States and Canada. The Rainy River issues from the west side of the lake and is harnessed to make hydroelectricity for ...

, and to the south below the mouth of the

Crow Wing River The Crow Wing River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed November 29, 2012 tributary of the Mississippi River in Minnesota, United States. The river rises at an elevation ...

. In 1836 he had a major disagreement with

Ramsay Crooks Ramsay Crooks (2 January 1787 – 6 June 1859) was an American fur trader who immigrated to Canada from Greenock, Scotland. He was the father of American Civil War Colonel William Crooks (colonel), William Crooks who served in the 6th Minnesota R ...

. Their dealings became negative, and in 1838 he was discharged for mismanagement. Aitken set up in competition as an independent trader on the Upper Mississippi, based in

. He died 16 September 1851. He was buried on the east bank of the Mississippi opposite to the mouth of the Swan River in

Morrison County, Minnesota Morrison County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 34,010. Its county seat is Little Falls. Camp Ripley Military Reservation occupies a significant area in north-central Morrison County. His ...

, where he had a trading post from 1842 until his death.

Family

Aitken had at least six wives: * Pagoonce, daughter of Chief Broken Tooth * Madeline Ermatinger (''Beshakwadokwe'', or Striped-Cloud; recorded variously as Payshahquodoquay, Pach-a-kwa-dok-we, etc.), daughter of Charles Oakes Ermatinger and Charlotte Katawabide; * ''Nu-gu-nay-au-nah-quod''; * ''Odishkwaagamiikwe'' (End-of-the-Lake Woman; recorded as O-dish-quah-gah-me-qu y; and * Julia Quodaince. He was said to have had a total of 25 children by these wives. His daughter Mathilda Aitken married

William Whipple Warren William Whipple Warren (May 27, 1825 – June 1, 1853) was a historian, interpreter, and legislator in the Minnesota Territory. The son of Lyman Marcus Warren, an American fur trader and Mary Cadotte, the Ojibwe-Metis daughter of fur trader M ...

, who became a historian of the Ojibwe. His son Alfred Aitken was murdered in Minnesota Territory. A suspect was tried for the crime in one of the first trials in the territory.

Legacy

Aitkin County, Minnesota Aitkin County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 15,697. Its county seat is Aitkin, Minnesota, Aitkin. Part of the Mille Lacs Indian Reserv ...

and the city of

Aitkin, Minnesota Aitkin ( ) is a city in Aitkin County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 2,168 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Aitkin County. History Before the establishment of City of Aitkin, a transient community of Lexington was loc ...

are named after him.

References

External links

William Aitkin
at

Rootsweb Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. In November 2018, ...

* Upham, Warren
"Aitkin County", in ''Minnesota geographic names: their origin and historic significance''
(St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society, 1910), p. 14.

Aitkin Area Chamber of Commerce
''Minnesota history, Volume 4, No. 7-8''
(St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society, 1922), p. 380. 1780s births 1851 deaths British emigrants to the United States American fur traders People from Aitkin County, Minnesota 19th-century Scottish people Businesspeople from Edinburgh Scottish merchants American Fur Company people 19th-century British businesspeople {{Minnesota-stub