The party traveled up the Columbia and across the Blue Mountains, descending into the Snake River drainage and establishing a base camp near where the Boise River joins the Snake, in present-day southwestern Idaho.

The Shoshone people of the area were, for the most part, receptive to the presence of the trapping party.

The fur trade had created a complex web of mutual interests across the interior: trappers needed guides, intelligence, horses, and food.

Indigenous communities needed access to trade goods, including metal tools and firearms, that the trade provided.

These relationships were not uncomplicated.

They were conducted within a context of power imbalances, misunderstandings, and competing interests that could shift quickly.