The first company to establish a trading post on the Pacific Northwest coast was the Pacific Fur Company. John Jacob Astor, a wealthy New York fur trader, decided to create the Pacific Fur Company to open up the uncharted territory west of the Rocky Mountains. Astor's fur businesses were well established east of the Rockies. He hoped to gain control of the entire American fur trade. In September 1810, two parties, representing Astor's Pacific Fur Company, set out to establish the first trading post on the Columbia River. A group left New York aboard the Tonquin, under the command of Captain Jonathan Thorn. The other group set out from St. Louis on an overland expedition to the mouth of the Columbia. This party was led by Wilson Price Hunt, one of the partners of the Pacific Fur Company. Overland and overseas expeditions expected to arrive on the Pacific coast at about the same time. In addition to the two expeditions, Astor sent one of his many ships, the Beaver, with a load of supplies and a few additional workers for the company post. . The land team, the Tonquin and the Beaver were at the heart of Astor's adventure on the Pacific coast. Captain Thorn of the Tonquin was an unreasonable and capricious man. When the Tonquin reached the mouth of the Columbia on March 22, 1811, the crew was unable to locate the channel through the treacherous bar due to stormy weather. Instead of waiting for more favorable weather, Thorn insisted on sending a small boat ahead to find the passage. The boat and the five crew members were quickly swallowed up by the breakers. Before the Tonquin finally crossed the bar a few days later, another small boat and its crew of three also disappeared. The crew was unhappy with the site chosen for a station and wanted to look for a better one. Before they could continue their activities, Thorn left for Vancouver Island to trade with the Indians, without even taking the time to unload all the supplies. On Vancouver Island, he antagonized the Indians so much that they attacked the ship and killed everyone on board, including Thorn. The Tonquin exploded and destroyed. The loss of the ship left the crew without a means to continue their coastal trade and also resulted in the loss of much-needed supplies that were still on board..