In 1832, Sir William Hooker, the great English botanist, was instrumental in securing a position for Tolmie with the Hudson's Bay Company. This company had, from time to time, a number of scientists in its employ, and in this way did much for the advancement of knowledge. Tolmie arrived off the coast of Oregon on April 30, 1833. His first assignment was to help establish Fort McLaughlin at Milbank Sound. From the last of May until August, 1833, he aided in the founding of Nisqually House. It was during this period that he made his celebrated trip to Mount Rainier.  There were not many fur-bearing animals on the streams flowing from Mount Rainier, so Nisqually never became very important as a fur-trading center. In 1836, the Puget Sound Agricultural Company was organized as a subsidiary company, and from that time on Fort Nisqually became more important as an agricultural enterprise than as a fur-trading post.

Credits and Sources:

"Ascents of Mount Rainier.” Field Division of Education. Mount Rainier: Its Human History Associations. National Park Service. Last Updated October 20, 2001. http://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/berkeley/rensch2/rensch2e.htm (Retrieved June 9, 2015).

“Early American Exploration of Puget Sound and the Mount Rainier Region.” “Mount Rainier: Its Human History Associations.” Field Division of Education. National Park Service. Last Modified October 20, 2001. http://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/berkeley/rensch2/rensch2h.htm (Retrieved June 9, 2015).