In early 1822, William Henry Ashley –– entrepreneur, mine owner and politician –– joined forces with bullet maker and occasional fur trader Andrew Henry to place advertisements in St. Louis, Mo., newspapers.

The ads said the pair were seeking 100 “Enterprising Young Men … to ascend the river Missouri to its source, there to be employed for one, two or three years.”

The men were to be employed gathering furs –– primarily beaver. It was the beginning of what would become the Rocky Mountain Fur Co.

Full story here.