In late 1812, three members of the "overland Astorians" were returning East through the Rocky Mountains and had gone several days eating half a meal a day. They happened to be able to shoot a wolf that wandered close to their camp. They dried the meat for a "future" emergency, ate the skin after it was boiled and made soup from the crushed bones. They wrote that the soup tasted very good, given their "current circumstances."

A few questions spring to mind when reading about this. What would they consider a future emergency? They'd barely eaten for over a week and were travelling in winter through the mountains, by foot.
How bad would wolf skin taste? I sure hope they at least removed the hair. Maybe they singed it? Not sure that would help the flavor at all.
How bad did the soup taste, that it took those "current circumstances" to make it taste good?

Those early hunters/trappers/traders were tough as nails dudes for sure.

There is an old saying-" the difference between what I will eat and won't eat is about 48 hours"

I think I could eat wolf, less it’s hair.

wolf could be just fine to eat

probably tastes a lot like dog and coyote

Dog was supposed to be good eating,but I sure would think twice about the hide. But when one is starving--anything to fill the belly would be appreciated--hair or not.
Tom

They also ate some beaver skins and the soles of their moccasins.

They bought quite a few dogs to eat from the Indians that they met, if they couldn't buy horses to eat.

I've eaten dog and It was Ok.

Stories like this illistrate how scarce game was in much of North America at that time.

Very true. Once they crossed the divide going west, game was about nonexistent. Dried fish was the bulk of their diet. East of the divide, it was feast or famine. They'd starve for days, then gorge for a week on buffalo back hump.

I can't imagine skin having that much in the way of nutrition. Boiling it would probably free some of the nutrients from the collagen. Think I'd save the leg bones and do a bone broth.

They did exactly that.

To utilize a lean animal for maximum nutrition the fatty parts are extremely important.
In hard times the nutritional(fat) value of the skin and other parts of the animal is more important than the lean meat alone.
There are still older native people who eat rabbits(a very lean animal) whole,including the skin.The brains are high in fat and are eaten.The innards are cleaned out and eaten also.
I have seen how they prepare it.
There are two ways.Animals like rabbits can be boiled only long enough until the hair loosens and can be wiped off the skin.The fur can be saved and used as a type of felt inside winter moccassins.
Animals like porcupines the hair was burnt off over a fire then the skin was scraped clean of any charr.

Interesting. I haven't come across any specific references to organs being eaten.

I’m a picky eater somewhere down the road I’d end up being the meal for those guys. LOL

Those early traders were tough yes but they also did some dumb things in their push. David Thompson tried to hire Indians to lead him through the mountains of BC one spring but none would hire on. They tried to explain to him that it was too early; the trails in the valley would be flooded, the passes would be snowed-in and the game was still on the wintering grounds. But in their push they had to learn things the hard way.

One French Canadian in a group, of 5 Astorians suggested they draw straws to choose who became the meal. The party had one gun among them. One of the Company partners took the gun and pointed it at said French Canadian and said you're first. The guy begged for his life and vowed never to suggest it again. They did not eat him.

They absolutely made some horrible decisions at times. Mostly driven by their desire to beat their competition. The fur trade then was, literally at times, a cut throat business.

k snow what are you reading?

Currently, "The Perilous West". I am about 3/4 of the way through, excellent book. Centers on the overland Astorians heading West between 1809 and 1814.

Thanks I'll look it up. The whole Astorian story is amazingly perilous both the overland and ocean stories.