Etienne de Veniard, Sieur de Bourgmont's account of the animals and geography of the Missouri River at the dawn of the 18th Century(1714)...............bears, buffalo, deer, beaver, otter, marten, wildcat(cougars), lynx(lynx and/or bobcats) and foxes were prevalent in this most Western sector of the New World where Colonial Powers France and England had staked claims........................And as all of you day to day blog readers know what I am fond of saying..........Where there was Buffalo, Deer, Elk, Moose, Pronghorn and Beaver, there was also the Wolf(despite Bourgmont's lack of mentioning)............doing it's top-down job of keeping prey populations in check

 
Étienne de Veniard, Sieur de Bourgmont (April 1679–1734) was a French explorer who made the first maps and documented his travels on the Missouri and Platte rivers. He wrote two accounts of his travels with descriptions of the Native American tribes he encountered. He established Fort Orleans, the first European fort on the Missouri River.

Etienne Veniard De Bourgmont's ""Exact Description of Louisiana""

THE ""EXACT DESCRIPTION OF LOUISIANA"" is an essential document for those who wish to learn about the Missouri at the beginning of the 18TH century. The text fixes the location of the indigenous populations which were settled along the river and its principal tributaries, describes for the first time the regions it traverses, and lastly, particularizes the extent of the French penetration. If, as its name indicates, it contains a detailed description of the whole of French Louisiana, only the last part of it being devoted to, the Missouri, it is nevertheless this part which has especially engaged the attention of historians, because of its newness and the fact that previously only the sparsest information, and that not based on a scientific foundation, was available.

 The regions bordering the Missouri River were destined to become a field of mineral exploitation and that the river had been explored over a large part of its course. The missionary, Francois Le Maire, at the beginning of 1714, estimated that, according to some accounts which are apparently erroneous, explorers had already covered it to a distance of 400 leagues.

 This officer, of Norman origin(Bourgmont), in command of Canadian troops, the nephew of a grand vicaire of the bishop of Quebec, had for some years adopted the adventurous career of coureur de bois. In 1706, he abandoned the post at Detroit, where he had just taken over the command, and had gallantly withstood the aggressions of the Renards, to live first as a nomad in the region of Lake Erie and then in the country of the Illinois, but to reconstitute his movements is not possible. A vague allusion by Controller d'Aigremont represents him in 1708 as sharing his life with an Indian woman whose tribe is unknown.

 Bourgmont tells us, for his part, in 1724, that the Missouris had known him for twelve years, which leads one to suppose that he had been established among the latter' since 1712. But we know only that he was in the Illinois in the course of the year 1713 and at the beginning of 1714. The Jesuit fathers, who directed the mission of the Kaskaskia, at that time drew the attention of the governor of Canada and of the minister of marine to the ""scandalous and criminal life"" of several coureurs de boil, one of whom was Wniard de Bourgmont,

"Some leagues further up, on the left side as you ascend, is the great Missouris River, so famed for its swiftness. Its water is always muddy, and especially in spring, making the Missicipi turbid for 400 leagues, and 20 leagues more towards the sea in spring at the time of the flood waters.
The first river is 30 leagues along on the left side as you go up, called the Ausages River on account of the tribe which lives there, who bear the same name. This river leads to about 40 leagues from the Cadaudakious, a tribe of almost the same sort.

This Missouris River runs to the north and the northwest. I shall not give a description of this river. I will only tell which tribes occupy its banks, to my knowledge. There are the Missouris . . ., who are allies of the French. All their trade is in furs. They are not very numerous, they are of very good blood and are more alert than any other tribe. From all the Missouris River can be gotten furs of every kind, very fine and good, as the climate there is very cold. Higher up is found another river which flows, into the Missouris, called the Ecanz River,  on which there is a tribe of the same name, allies and friends of
the French.

 Their trade is in furs. These are the most beautiful countries and the most beautiful pieces of land in the world. The prairies there are like seas and full of wild beasts, especially buffalo, cows, hinds and stags, which are there in numbers that stagger the imagination. They almost always hunt with bow and arrow. They have very fine horses and are very good horsemen. One can get there quantities of deer skins, some buffalo skins and some bear skins. In these regions is also found some saltpeter, from which powder is made . . ., I have seen it tried. I. do not know precisely where it is mined.

 

Here is what I think can be gotten from the colony of the Natteche, a quantity of tobacco, of silk, as there are many mulberry trees there, of boards if they are suitable, I believe that wheat will grow well there, as the soil is good, at least one would think so, quantities of deer skins, some buffalo skins and bear skins. Rice can also be grown there, since it can be grown in Carolina.

Here is what can be gotten from the Ouabache, from the upper Missouris, from the Illinois River and from the upper Missicipi, to wit, buffalo skins and cow skins, their wool, if it is good for anything, and their hair, stag skins, skins of hinds, skins of roebuck, skins of bears, beaver, otter, marten, wild cat, lynx, wood otter, fox of all kinds, wild cats.