Joseph Robidoux IV
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Joseph Robidoux IV (1783–1868), was an American fur trader credited as the founder of
St. Joseph, Missouri St. Joseph is a city in and the county seat of Buchanan County, Missouri. Small parts of St. Joseph extend into Andrew County. Located on the Missouri River, it is the principal city of the St. Joseph Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includ ...
, which developed around his Blacksnake Hills Trading Post. His buildings in St. Joseph, known as Robidoux Row, are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
. Of French Canadian descent, he was born in Saint Louis, as were his mother and most of his brothers, when it was a predominately French-speaking colonial town. After he established his trading post on the Missouri River, it (and the later St. Joseph), became a center for his family enterprise of
fur trading The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most ...
. He operated it with his five brothers along the Mississippi and especially the Missouri River systems.


Biography

Robidoux was the oldest of the six sons of Joseph Robidoux III (born in Sault-au-Recollet,
Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
, 12 February 1750-, date of death unknown), a
fur trader The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the mos ...
, and Catherine Rollet (born in Saint Louis, Missouri, October 20, 1767; died in 1868). Joseph Robidoux IV was born August 5, 1783, in Saint Louis, as were the six of his seven brothers who survived to adulthood. This was before it was acquired by the United States as part of the 1803
Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana Purchase (french: Vente de la Louisiane, translation=Sale of Louisiana) was the acquisition of the territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. In return for fifteen million dollars, or app ...
of French territory west of the
Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...
. Joseph Robidoux IV was the grandson of Joseph Robidoux (13 SEPT 1722 • Montreal, St-Laurent-de-l'Île-d'Orléans, L'Île-d'Orléans, Quebec, Canada] in 1722) and Marie-Anne Leblanc (13 JAN 1728 • Île-Dorléans, Montmorency, Quebec, Canada). He grew up 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, ...
, where his father introduced him and his brothers Francois, Pierre Isidore, Antoine, Louis, and Michael to the family business of
fur trading The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most ...
at an early age. (Weber, pp. 36) In 1799, at the age of 16, Joseph began accompanying fur traders to the upper Missouri River, where they traded with a variety of Native American tribes.Hugh M. Lewis, ''Robidoux Chronicles: Ethnohistory Of The French-American Fur Trade''
Trafford Publishing, 2004, p. 37-38


Career


1803–1822

In 1803, Robidoux was sent by his father to organize a trading post at
Fort Dearborn Fort Dearborn was a United States fort built in 1803 beside the Chicago River, in what is now Chicago, Illinois. It was constructed by troops under Captain John Whistler and named in honor of Henry Dearborn, then United States Secretary of War. ...
, the site of present-day
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
. His early success there annoyed other traders, who engaged Indians to harass the young man and drive him from the area. During this time he fell in love with the daughter of the village
blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...
. The father did not give permission for his daughter to marry Robidoux, purportedly saying that some of the Robidoux family had surrendered their soul to the devil. In 1805, Joseph's wife of four years, Eugénie Delisle, died. She and Joseph had had two children, a daughter, Messanie, who preceded her mother in death, and a son, Joseph F. Robidoux. Later using the given name of Joseph, he also became a trader. In 1809, the senior Robidoux established a
trading post A trading post, trading station, or trading house, also known as a factory, is an establishment or settlement where goods and services could be traded. Typically the location of the trading post would allow people from one geographic area to tr ...
near the site of present-day
North Omaha, Nebraska North Omaha is a community area in Omaha, Nebraska, in the United States. It is bordered by Cuming and Dodge Streets on the south, Interstate 680 on the north, North 72nd Street on the west and the Missouri River and Carter Lake, Iowa on the ea ...
. He operated his trading post in the Council Bluffs area until 1822, when 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 ...
bought him out and offered him $1,000 a year to refrain from competing with them. A later post at the North Omaha site was operated by and named for Jean Pierre Cabanné. During the years of the
War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...
and hostilities with British forces along the northern frontier, the Robidoux brothers had to pull their activities back to the St. Louis area. In 1813, the widower Robidoux married Angélique Vaudry. They had seven children together: six sons and one daughter (Faraon, Julius, Francis, Felix, Edmond, Charles, and Sylvanie).


1823–1842

After Robidoux returned to St. Louis about 1823, he worked as a baker and confectioner. In 1826, he was hired by 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 ...
to establish a trading post at the Blacksnake Hills (near the site on the Missouri River of present-day
Saint Joseph, Missouri St. Joseph is a city in and the county seat of Buchanan County, Missouri. Small parts of St. Joseph extend into Andrew County. Located on the Missouri River, it is the principal city of the St. Joseph Metropolitan Statistical Area, which inclu ...
.) He remained their employee for four years, at the salary of $1,800 a year, before becoming an independent trader. Built prior to 1830, Robidoux's home was located on the northwest corner of 2nd & Jules streets in Saint Joseph. It was the first building in the settlement. The house was later removed to Krug Park as a historic attraction. Robidoux prospered in the years between 1830 and 1843, employing as many as 20 ethnic French men to engage in trade with the Native Americans to the west of his post. When Missouri entered the union in 1821, the state's western boundary was based on the
Kaw River The Kansas River, also known as the Kaw, is a river in northeastern Kansas in the United States. It is the southwesternmost part of the Missouri River drainage, which is in turn the northwesternmost portion of the extensive Mississippi River dr ...
mouth in the Kansas City
West Bottoms The West Bottoms is an industrial area immediately to the west of downtown Kansas City, Missouri. Located in Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas it sits at the confluence of the Missouri River and the Kansas River. The area is one ...
(approximately 94 degrees 36 minutes West longitude). The land where St. Joseph is now located belonged by treaty to the Ioway Tribe and the combined Sac and
Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...
tribe. As a licensed trader, Robidoux was legally allowed to be in the area as a trader. Robidoux was the most spectacular example of several enterprising white settlers who encroached on Indian land. Faced with the possibilities of more encroachment, the tribes in 1836 agreed to sell what is now the northwest corner of Missouri for $7,500 to the federal government in a deal at
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., and the oldest perman ...
. It was presided over by
William Clark William Clark (August 1, 1770 – September 1, 1838) was an American explorer, soldier, Indian agent, and territorial governor. A native of Virginia, he grew up in pre-statehood Kentucky before later settling in what became the state of Misso ...
(one of the leaders of the
Lewis and Clark Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * "Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohead ...
expedition). The transaction, called the
Platte Purchase The Platte Purchase was a land acquisition in 1836 by the United States government from American Indian tribes of the region. It comprised lands along the east bank of the Missouri River and added to the northwest corner of the state of Miss ...
, added an area almost the combined size of
Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...
and
Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...
to the State of Missouri. During this era, one of Robidoux's African-American slaves, Jeffrey Deroine, sued for his freedom, claiming abuse by Robidoux. Deroine lost the case, but his friends later purchased his freedom. Deroine rose to prominence for his skills as a trader and linguist, becoming a well-known U.S. Government translator and diplomat.


1843–1868

In 1843, Robidoux hired Frederick W. Smith and Simeon Kemper to design a town for him on his land around the trading post. Under Kemper's plan the town was to have been called Robidoux, a feature Kemper thought would appeal to the trader. But, Robidoux preferred Smith's plan, as it featured more narrow streets, thus leaving more land for him to sell in the form of lots. Plans for the town were filed with the clerk of Common Pleas in St. Louis on July 26, 1843. Shortly thereafter, Robidoux began selling lots, with corner lots going for $150.00 and interior lots $100.00. Saint Joseph prospered quickly in the years after its founding, growing from a population of 800 in 1846 to 8,932 in 1860. Joseph Robidoux remained a prominent citizen. His early trading offices are known as Robidoux Row; the complex is listed in the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
. He led many development issues until his death, at the age of 85, in 1868. Present-day Saint Joseph retains the downtown streets which he named for his children and his second wife Angélique.


Family

Joseph was married three times. His first wife was Eugénie DeLisle (1704–1805)?, who was ethnic French like him. Joseph and Eugenie had two children: * Messanie (died early) * Joseph (b. 1802) Secondly, Joseph married a Native American woman when he operated a trading post at Scott's Bluff from 1849-1851. She may have been Shoshone. The couple had one child: * Mary Many Days (1805–1884). She married Ioway chief Francis White Cloud. Robidoux was grandfather to James White Cloud and Jefferson White Cloud, who were later named as Ioway chiefs as adults. The widowed Robidoux married again. His third wife was Angélique Vaudry, great-granddaughter of Jean-Baptiste Chevalier, one of the early founders of
Fort Michilimackinac Fort Michilimackinac was an 18th-century French, and later British, fort and trading post at the Straits of Mackinac; it was built on the northern tip of the lower peninsula of the present-day state of Michigan in the United States. Built arou ...
. The couple had six children who lived to adulthood: * Julius Caesar (1814–1844) * Messanie (13 Aug 1814 - 14 Aug 1814) * Farron Antoine (Faraon) (3 March 1816 – 1840) * François Belvedere (b. 25 February 1818) * Felix (5 May 1820 -1873) * Edmond Valentine (12 May 1825) * Marie-Agnés (10 March 1807 – 1900) * Sylvanie (10 March 1827) * Charles (10 July 1831 – 1851). Robidoux had two illegitimate children with Angeline Caroline Jones. Joseph Henry Robidoux Papst was born in St. Joseph, Missouri in 1853 and Madora Rubidoux Papst was born in 1855. Robidoux died on 27 May 1868, and was buried at the Calvary Cemetery in St. Joseph. His body was relocated to the Mount Olivet Cemetery in 1908 after the original cemetery was abandoned. Losing money to gambling, he did not die a rich man.


Legacy and honors

* He is the namesake of
Roubidoux Creek Roubidoux Creek is a tributary to the Gasconade River in the Ozarks of south central Missouri named after French-Canadian fur trader Joseph Robidoux. It is long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe ...
, a stream in Missouri. * St. Joseph, Missouri was named for him, the founder. * His buildings known as Robidoux Row, were listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
.


See also

*
Cabanne's Trading Post Cabanne's Trading Post was established in 1822 by the American Fur Company as Fort Robidoux near present-day Dodge Park in North Omaha, Nebraska, United States. It was named for the influential fur trapper Joseph Robidoux. Soon after it was ope ...


References

Great, great grand-daughter, http://www.FrenchAndEnglish.com
Arrière petite-fille, http://www.DianeGoullard.com *Institut Drouin: birth of Joseph M_III * Weber, David J. "Louis Robidoux", featured in ''Trappers of the Far West'', Leroy R. Hafen, editor, 1972, Arthur H. Clark Company, reprint University of Nebraska Press, October 1983.
Hugh M. Lewis, ''Robidoux Chronicles: Ethnohistory of the French-American Fur Trade''
Trafford Publishing, 2004, 5. Rabideau, Clyde M. Beaver Tales, Trappers, Traders, Mountain Men & Scoundrels, 2002, Joseph Robidoux, The Family Patriarch, 2005, Descendants of Andre Robidou, 2011, Heartlnut Publishing {{DEFAULTSORT:Robidoux, Joseph 1868 deaths American fur traders People from St. Louis People from St. Joseph, Missouri People from Omaha, Nebraska 1783 births Nebraska people of French descent American Fur Company people