Let's look at some references to coffee from the West.

From James Beckwourth:
Fur companies in those days had to depend upon their rifles for a supply of food. No company
could possibly carry provisions sufficient to last beyond the most remote white settlements. Our
food, therefore, consisted of deer, wild turkeys (which were found in great abundance), bear-meat,
and, even in times of scarcity, dead horses. Occasionally a little flour, sugar, and coffee might last
over to the mountains; but those who held these articles asked exorbitant prices for them, and it
was but few who tasted such luxuries.

From General Thomas James:
Chouteau invited me to breakfast with him, assuring me
that my horses, which were now out of sight, would be recovered. I partook with him of a dish
of coffee, the first I had tasted in twelve months, and of bread and other luxuries of civilization,
which brought before my mind all the comforts of home to which I had been so long a stranger.

From Charles Larpenteur:
Toward spring [1863] we were in a starving condition, game of all kinds extremely scarce, and
men afraid to go out for a hunt. For about six weeks I lived on nothing but jerked elk meat, having
some salt but being entirely out of other groceries. There is little substance in elk meat. I became
so weak that I could scarcely get up the river bank with a bucket of water; my knees felt like giving
way. It was only by seeking for coffee in the warehouse, picking it up grain by grain out of the dirt,
that I now and then got a cup of coffee, without sugar; but it was a great treat notwithstanding.

Some prices paid in the mountains for goods, including coffee, from Daniel Potts:
Powder $2 50 per lb.
Lead 1 50
Coffee 2 00
Sugar 2 00
Tobacco 2 00
Vermilion 6 00
Beads 5 00
Pepper 6 00
Blankets (three point) 15 00
cotton stripe, per yard 2 50
Calico do.
scarlet Cloth (coarse) do 10 00
Blue Cloth (coarse) do 8 00
Ribband, per Yd 0 75
Brass nails, per dozen 0 50
Horses cost from 150 dollars to 300, and some as high as 500.

Group of Trappers and Indians by Alfred Jacob Miller.

From Charles Larpenteur:
Toward spring [1863] we were in a starving condition, game of all kinds extremely scarce, and
men afraid to go out for a hunt. For about six weeks I lived on nothing but jerked elk meat, having
some salt but being entirely out of other groceries. There is little substance in elk meat. I became
so weak that I could scarcely get up the river bank with a bucket of water; my knees felt like giving
way. It was only by seeking for coffee in the warehouse, picking it up grain by grain out of the dirt,
that I now and then got a cup of coffee, without sugar; but it was a great treat notwithstanding.


Was this party in a Fort or open camp?

They were in a "handsome, good little fort".

Here's the preceding few paragraphs:
Late in August [1862] we reached Milk River, when the Missouri became so low that the steamer
could proceed no further. The next day, while we were taking the goods into Dauphin Fort, a
large war party of Sioux gave us a few shots, and stole several head of horses from the Crows. The
Shreveport left, and I remained in Dauphin until teams came from Benton to take up what goods
the company had for that place, and also to move me up to the fort, which I called Galpin. On our
way up we left Owen McKenzie about 150 miles below this point, to build a trading post for the
Assiniboines.
Here I erected a handsome, good little fort, and might have had a pleasant time. But in consequence
of the very mild winter we had no buffalo, and the Indians, who were starving as well as
ourselves, became very unruly. At one time they threatened to pillage my stores, and for a while
our case looked rather dark; but they contented themselves with stealing a few articles. I tried my
men, but they refused to fight, saying they would rather let the Indians take all the goods than
expose their own lives. I had a mean, cowardly set of men, many of whom had been hired by Captain
John La Barge on his return from Benton, during his first trip. I knew them of old, and had I
had my own way about this, they should never have been in my employment.
In spite of all this my trade was tolerably fair this winter [1862-63]. McKenzie did little. Early in
the fall he had a fight with the Sioux, in which one man was killed, besides one Assiniboine and
several horses. This was a party of about 200 warriors, who attacked our men in their house. The
latter immediately cut portholes, and defended themselves through them. Our man was killed in
the house by a ball which penetrated the door. The Indians were bold enough to come and shoot
through the portholes; but one of them remained there. The fight lasted all day; there were but
four white men and six Assiniboines on our side. The next day three Sioux were found dead, and
there were signs of several wounded ones, who had been taken away. This fight frightened the
Assiniboines away from the post, and was the cause why McKenzie did but little trade — only 350
robes.

I often read the trappers assigning critiques as to the quality of the meat their rifles brought down. They really wanted a nice fat cow, not a tough ol' bull.

That is one interesting passage ...thanks for the follow up.

Interesting read. Thank you. Imagine spending $16,500 in 1862 on a horse. Civil war was 1861-65. Remember them trying to get Dish's horse in Lonesome Dove when that boy took a beatin? Same time frame. Those were civil war soldiers. That much money and it sounds like it was just for some horse in the mountains at a trading post somewhere... not a really good horse in town. Interesting.



Think of a $500 Wanted Poster. Pretty neat.

That letter from Daniel Potts, with the "mountain prices" listed, was dated 1827, so that horse was even more expensive. Horses were invaluable in the mountains. Several trappers went all the way to California to steal Spanish horses to bring back to rendezvous to sell for profit. Not many were successful.