Covered Copper Kettles

[Leifer]

I was reading an article in MOFT Quarterly, Vol. 37 #4, Winter 2001 on covered copper kettles. In the article Hansen notes:

"The US government's Office of Indian Trade and the American Fur Company also sold these kettles... The American Fur Company's orders for 1833 included '8 nests covered copper Camp Kettles 7 ea. 1/2 to 8 gallons. Same as furnished last year.' "

From what I understand the covered copper kettles are more associated with the HBC and to a degree the NWC. Much of what Hansen talks about in the article is with the HBC selling them. So here's my question. Would the kettles being mention that were sold by the Office of Indian Trade and the AFC be the same kettles that the HBC were selling? Or same type of kettles made by other suppliers?

Leifer

[Rod]

I am not really sure. I've seen references, including the one quoted, for covered copper kettles, but I've never seen an actual description of them for the American trade. If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say they were copies of the HBC kettle, but perhaps made by an American manufacturer. The AFC was competing directly with the HBC on the Upper Mississippi and Upper Missouri, so it would stand to reason they'd stock items that would be similar. Those covered copper kettles show up in trade lists every so often, but the brass, sheet iron, and tinned kettles tend to be far more common. I wonder if any have been recovered archaeologically in an American context---and how would a person distinguish them from the HBC kettle?

Rod