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Instructions to Robert Evans

Fort Hall July 31st, 1834 as a gent and Partner of the Columbia River Fishing and Trading Co. I leave you the following instructions for your government during the time you may remain in charge of Fort Hall

1st You will remain untill you are relieved by another superintendent, or untill the expiration of your time of service with the Co unless you are obliged to evacuate by starvation or hostility of the Indians in either of which cases you will endeavor to cash what goods you are obliged to leave securely.
2nd In trading you will adhere to the Tariff which is annexed and on no account deviate therefrom and you will give no credit to any one
3rd You will give no supplies to any of your men unless the Co are $20 in their debt by the acts which have been handed you, you will be able to ascertain when this is the case
4th You will have the animals left here guarded by one man in the day time and put into the Fort at night.
5th You will keep one centry at night on duty untill your Fort is entirely finished and afterward and if any guard is found asleep you will note it in your Journal and for this and similar purposes you will keep a book in which you will enter all remarkable occurrences.
6th Saddles and harness you will keep in some secure place in order that those disposed may have as few facilities of deserting as possible.
7th After my departure you will first bend your attention to lining the Fort completely after which you will build such buildings as are required for store houses and habitations for the men.
8th If a cash should be made you will be carefull not to communicate it to any one of the men
9th When goods are sold you will make memorandum of the sale in a Book kept for the purpose entering at the same time the articles for which they are sold and to whom
10th You will say to every white man and Indian that visits the fort that we shall continue to trade new clean robes, rats and beaver, deer, elk and antelope skins dressed, at the prices established in the tariff and shall supply the Fort with goods from time to time.
11th You may expect a further supply of goods before the closing in of the winter.
12th You will on all occasions trade meat whether you have a supply or not at the time.
13th You will if possible trade 200 Upishemays 25 good riding saddles 500 cords 200 par flushy sinews &c &c
14th As articles are sometimes called for that you have not got you will keep a memorandum of them so that the deficiency may be supplied.
15th When people come to the Fort you will exercise as much hospitality as the state of your provisions will admit of the persons in charge of such parties you will invite to your own table and take for their refreshment such articles from the outfit as you deem suitable an account of which you will keep in order that the Goods left in your charge may be all accounted for.
16th You will divide your men into two messes and appoint a cook for each, yourself will mess alone and your cook will eat after you have done this will make two messes of each 5 in number and yourself and cook in the third
17th All hands until the work is done and while strangers are at the fort will be called at sunrise at other times one hour afterwards you will have three meals pr day for all hands
18th You will avoid as much as possible leaving the Fort yourself and on no occasion leave less than 6 men in the Fort, and always on such occasions one man on guard placed on the highest point of the fort.
19th You will keep the store locked up at all times except you are in it yourself trust to no one but yourself
20th You will not allow the men to trade the smallest article themselves but you will trade for them a reasonable quantity of leather for their own use but in no case exceed the price named in the annexed tariff
21st As soon as I am gone you will plant some turnips at McKays horse pen first taking away all the old dung
22nd You will from time to time look into the Cash and if you find it damaging you can remove it to one of the Bastions
23rd You will when there is any considerable number of Indians in the Fort keep two men in each Bastion into which allow no Indian to go.
24th All the Pack and riding saddles which I have here you will have covered with raw hide and all Harness kept in order
25th You will not leave the Fort yourself unless absolutely necessary but send out men to hunt.
26th You will keep all the Firearms which are left with you except the mens personal arms loaded and in the Bastions and once a Week you will draw the charges and reload them.
27th After other matters are arranged you will make in the place laid out a Horse Pen large enough for 100 Horses
28th You will at convenient time clean the slew of brush and reeds.
29th You will erect a Privy at the place designated.
30th Next spring you will endeavour to obtain young antelope and Buffaloe of both sexes
31st You will sell any or all the Animals I leave here if you can obtain 25 lb of Beaver for them.
32nd You have left with you an account against Antoine Godins and Messrs Fraeb & I Jervais, in case they come in and pay up their dues you will credit them to a seasonable [reasonable?] amt. provided they have no beaver, but if they have you will require them to hand it over to you for what they take at the same rates as mentioned in their accounts.
32 You will have a flag made of red flannells four yards long which you will put up at 9 ock. and at 3 ock keeping it up half an hour each time and only hoist the Am. flag on particular occasions
33rd You will endeavor to fill all the empty keegs with tallow and have them covered with green hide
34th You will not disturb the goods in Cash for Mr. McKay unless there is danger from water in which case you will make the safest disposition of them in your power, and you will not deliver them except to my order or personally to Mr. M.Kay.
35th You will assort the powder before trading commences to avoid the bad appearance that it now makes and you will have a sufficient quantity of lead moulded for trading.
36th You will in trading with the Ind. divide the papers of vermillion, as they are too large.
37th Have all the large cut beads put up in strings so that you can measure them out in fathoms and then you will trade for beaver or robes only.
38th You will on first arrival of a village of lndians give two or three of the chiefs a glass of liquor be sure you give this to none but chiefs of villages and on no other occasion give any to any other Indian.

Indian Tariff

For Robes and Beaver give the following articles for Elk skins and meat the same except the cloths, Blankets axes and large cut Beads

1 Bunch common beads cut
30 Loads Ammunition
20 Loads ammunition 1 Knife
20 Loads ammunition l0 Paper Vermillion
20 Loads Ammunition Bunch small Beads
20 Loads ammunition Small piece Tobacco
20 Loads ammunition 1/2 doz small Buttons
20 Loads ammunition 3 awls
20 loads ammunition gun worm 1 flint
1 Fathom largest cut Beads for Beaver or Robe
1 Common Blanket cost $4.25 for Beaver or Robe
1 Shirt for Beaver or Robe
1/2 yard Blue cloth for Beaver or Robe
1/2 yard Scarlet cloth for Beaver or Robe
Rifle 12 Beaver or Robes  Fuzil 8 Beaver or Robe

For Rats or Mink give the following Articles

Viz  2 Flints
     1 Gun worm
     1 Awl
     1 Fish hook
     2 Loads Ammunition
     1 Fire Steel for 3
     4 Bells for one

For good Upishemays, dressed Antelope and dear skins give ammunition only and trade only for good ones

10 loads ammunition and trade only good ones
5 loads ammunition for cords
12 "        "      for saddles each

For all unnamed articles fix a price at your own discretion but purchase none only you are oblidged.

Tariff for the Whites

The prices you will find in the Invoice and marked on the goods. Of the Whites you will trade only Beaver, Rats & Mink. Paying them as follows in goods

Viz  Beaver $6 pr. large skin or $5 pr lb.
     Rats 25 cents
     Mink 25 cents
Or cash $3.50 pr lb or $5 pr large skin

Small Beaver in proportion whether paid for in goods
or cash