Mountain men of the Old West

The typical Mountain Man was a gruff, bearded loner who made a living hunting buffalo and trapping beavers for the hat industry. In the early years of the Old West they frequently served as guides for the pioneers.
The exploits of many of these frontiersman became the stuff of legend: everyone has heard of Grizzly Adams who wrestled with bears and Indian Wars hero Davy Crockett who defeated a fierce Creek warrior in a duel with tomahawks

Hugh Glass is a great story, and a pretty good movie, Man in the Wilderness.

Here is a good little starter site for those interested in surveying expeditons.

And again along those lines.. here's a classic by a man not only involved in the surveying and exploration of routes; he was instruemental in the developement of commerce along them. His interests were many and he was highly read.

Edited by Centrix Vigilis - 13-Apr-2011 at 17:53

Jim Bridger has his name on landmarks all over the west. Despite his early misplays, such as abandoning the Grizzly mauled Hugh Glass, he became one of the most influential trappers in our history. His exploits influence and range from the plains all the way out here to Oregon. He and Kit Carson figure prominently in my mind. He also was very respected by the tribes and was as expert as anyone in dealing with them. The Army relied on his guiding and brigade leading for decades because of that and because of his encyclopedic knowledge of the countryside.

Like Unk, i also hold Bill in high esteem. I started a topic about him a couple of months ago:

Wild Bill's Card Game

Mountain Men were a breed apart from others, some think a little anti-social...to say the least... but I like to think of them as men who enjoyed living amidst the solitary splendor of the High Country without depending on others for anything.

While I was reading some old railroad history, which has a lot to do with isolated communities, I happened across a small piece about a man who was isolated in a remote mining community during a severe winter when the railroads were shut down - a frequent occurrence.

When his supplies ran low, he hiked over thirty miles to a nearby town through deep drifts, and back again dragging his supplies on a sled - two days each way.  The amazing part of this was that he was 79!

The author went on to say that one day a year or so later the old guy just pulled up stakes and hiked clear out to civilization, over seventy miles, by himself and was never heard from again after reaching his destination.

They were tough old birds.

I would have to say though, Nick, that buffalo hunters were a different breed of men.  Many of them made a living shooting buffalo to provide meat for the work crews building the railroads, and because of the work involved, tended to work in groups more than singly.


Edited by Mountain Man - 24-Aug-2012 at 19:45

My impression of the Mountain Men is that they were first and foremost businessmen. Their goal was to make as much money in the fur trade as possible, and to do that they had to know their market and the tribes whose furs could be purchased by trade for necessities and resold down river at a higher price. Of course, they also trapped on their own, but again this was driven by a desire for gaining a price for their furs that would pay a handsome profit.

Courtesy of my friends at the MTO.