Cooper County, MO

In the early 1820s, William Henry Ashley and Andrew Henry—a bullet maker he met through his gunpowder business—posted famous advertisements in St. Ashley devised the rendezvous system in which trappers, Indians and traders would meet annually in a predetermined location to exchange furs, goods and money.

The men who responded became known as “Ashley’s Hundred.” For the next three years, the Rocky Mountain Fur Company made several large-scale fur trapping expeditions in the west. It was Ashley’s idea for trappers, Indians, and traders to meet annually in a predetermined location to exchange furs, goods, and money.

VirginiaSt. Louis

Forging new paths and discovering landscapes unknown to whites, the Rocky Mountain Fur Company ultimately pioneered a new style in the fur trade. Known as the brigade-rendezvous system, Major Henry’s system was formed in part as a reaction to a July 1822 law prohibiting the sale of alcohol to Indians.

Fortune from fur trade In London, Astor at once made a contract with the North West Company, who from Montreal rivaled the trade interests of the Hudson’s Bay Company, then based in London.

According to Time magazine, 90 percent of all rich families, from the Astors to the Ziffs, lose their fortune by the third generation. This is remarkable, considering how comparatively easy it is to retain wealth once you have it.

7. Astor created the first family “trust” in American history. Aside from such charitable donations as the library, John Jacob Astor left the bulk of his $20 million fortune (estimated by Forbes magazine to be worth more than $100 billion today), to his second son, William Backhouse Astor, Sr.

John D. Rockefeller

PayPal erroneously credited over $92 quadrillion to a user account. Internet payment agent PayPal yesterday admitted an error had led to a $92-quadrillion credit to the account of a Pennsylvania, US resident, online media reported.