Jacques La Ramee

Jacques La Ramée (sometimes rendered La Remy or La Ramie or Laramée) (ca 1780 – ca 1820) was a French-Canadian fur trader who lived in what is now the U.S. state of Wyoming after moving there in 1815. In 1820 or 1821, he left for the season to go trapping along what is now known as the Laramie River. After failing to arrive at the next year's rendezvous, a search party was sent out to locate him. Accounts of his disappearance vary; some stories conclude that he was killed by Arapaho Indians, which they vigorously denied. A number of sites in Wyoming are named for him, including the Laramie River, the city of Laramie, Fort Laramie, Laramie Peak, and Laramie County, Wyoming.

Life

La Ramée was born on June 8, 1784 in Québec, Canada to Joseph Fissiau dit Laramée and Jeanne Mondou. The North West Company registry cites two Laramée brothers, Jacques and Joseph. The name LaRamée (Laramée, Laramie, La Ramée) first appears in the West in 1798, referring to a canoe man who worked until 1804. This probable relative may be Francois Laramée, who is also listed in the registry of the Northwest Company. This ancestor had several sons who ventured west into Wyoming and Idaho. Joachim Fromhold writes that one of the sons was Jacques La Rami (sic) for whom the Laramie river is named.

According to historian C. G. Countant, LaRamee worked as a voyageur and fur trader for the North West Company. Employees of the North West Company and its rival fur trade operation, the Hudson Bay Company, were in competition, and disputes at times turned violent. In 1821 the two feuding companies merged. LaRamée was known for his character and peaceful reputation, which accounted for his success in organizing a group of independent free trappers. They set out in 1815 to the headwaters of the North Platte river in Wyoming territory. Coutant writes that LaRamée and his band of peaceful trappers befriended many Native American tribes who would sell pelts to LaRamée's operation. This enterprise established the free trapper rendezvous in Wyoming, where trappers represented themselves without a middle-man or overarching company.

Death

Several conflicting accounts of his death exist. In 1820, LaRamée set off to trap along what is now called the Laramie River and its tributaries. The following year he failed to attend the annual rendezvous, and a search party was organized. One account cites that his body was found in a small cabin, whereas another states that his body was found "stuffed under a beaver dam." The actual cause of death cited varies from slipping on ice and falling into the river to an alleged eyewitness account of Pierre Lesperance, stating that LaRamée's camp was attacked by Arapahos. Other accounts suggest he was killed by rival trappers or traders.

Legacy

Several geographic sites in the U.S. state of Wyoming were named after LaRamée (anglicized to Laramie): Laramie River, Laramie Peak, Fort Laramie, Laramie County, WY, and the city of Laramie, WY.

See also

• Canadian canoe routes
• North American fur trade
• Rendezvous (fur trade)