The Mountain Men Mr. Womack Utah Studies

The First Trappers In the early 1800’s the first trappers followed Indian trails across the Rockies into Oregon. They traded with Indians, exchanging metal objects and blankets for furs. Soon other trappers came and started trapping furs themselves. They were called mountain men.

The Mountain Men Most of them were employees of American, British, or Mexican fur companies. The company traders took the pelts to St. Louis to sell. Most of the furs eventually ended up across the ocean in Europe. You had to be a little crazy to be a mountain man.

What were they like? About 3,000 men, along with some women and children went west to trap. They dressed like the Indians in shirts and trousers made of leather. They lived off of the land just like the Indians. They made themselves part of Indian society.

How they lived Mountain men were by themselves for most of the year. They had little interaction with others, and when they did see other people it was usually Native Americans. Some took Native wives, and they also learned the native languages. They trapped throughout the winter, fall, and spring.

How they lived They needed to be mobile to be able to trap the furs effectively. When they had too many furs to carry around with them, they would dig a hole, hide the furs, and cover the hole with dirt, large rocks, and brush. This is called a cache.

Cache Valley

Preston, Idaho

Rendezvous! Each July, trappers came out of the wilderness and brought their furs from the caches. They met at a site chosen the year before. The Rendezvous included Indian men, women, and children and other fur traders and their families.

Rendezvous! The Rendezvous took place in Green River, Wyoming and in the Cache and Bear Lake valleys in Southern Idaho and Northern Utah. These events included trading and various mountain man and Indian games. For some trappers, this was the only time they saw another white man all year. Fur companies sometimes came too.

Bear Lake

Green River

Indian-Trapper Conflict Indians and Trappers had a complex relationship. Indians often acted as guides, and even let mountain men spend the winter in their lodges. Some Indians did not want the trappers on their land. They often attacked them and took their horses and furs.

Indian-Trapper Conflict Mountain men were brave and hardworking. However, they often did not understand Native Americans. Instead of respecting them, they often saw them as in the way of making money. Fur trapping was a commercial venture.

Where did they come from? British Trappers working for Hudson’s Bay Fur Company came first. They followed the Bear River, went to Bear Lake and then to Ogden Valley and Cache Valley. Peter Skene Ogden worked for this group. Americans working for the Ashley-Henry Fur Company were next.

Americans working for the Ashley-Henry Fur were next. They found the Green River and other places in Wyoming loaded with beaver. Ashley invented the rendezvous. Jim Bridger, Jedediah Smith, and Jim Beckwourth worked for them.

French trappers came from New Mexico. Their names were Etienne Provost and Antione Robidoux. Other trappers who were not affiliated with fur companies include Joseph Walker. The mountain men helped explore Utah and gave us a lot of knowledge about the state.

Peter Skene Ogden

Peter Skene Ogden He lead many trappers into the Cache Valley and Ogden regions. He also explored the west deserts of Utah and Nevada. He was friendly enough with the Indians to accomplish his business ventures. The City of Ogden and the Ogden River are named after him.

Jim Bridger

Jim Bridger He was about twenty years old when he came to Utah. He went to Cache Valley and camped on the Bear River. He followed the river in a boat until it flowed into a large body of water. He tasted the water and discovered it was salty.

Jim Bridger He thought he had reached the ocean. He later discovered that it had no outlet and it was a Great Salt Lake. Jim Bridger was respected by the Indians for his fairness. He later built a trading post in Wyoming that made a profit.

Jedediah Smith

Jedediah Smith He was one of the leaders of Ashley’s American group. “Jed” as he was known had his ear ripped off by a grizzly bear. He explored the dry land of California and Nevada. He barely made it to California because of lack of water.

On the way back he crossed the Sierra Nevadas and the west desert of Nevada and Utah. When they made it to Bear Lake for the rendezvous they fired off a cannon because they thought he was dead. He was the first to cross the length and width of the entire state. Several years after he left Utah, he was killed by Comanche Indians.

James Beckwourth

James Beckwourth He also worked for Ashley. He was a miner, army scout, and businessman. He moved west from Missouri to avoid slavery. He spent time all over Utah and California. He was adopted by the Crow Indians, married a Crow woman, and often dressed like the Crow did.

Etienne Provost

Etienne Provost Provost is also given credit for being the first mountain man to see the Great Salt Lake. He established trading posts along the shores of the Great Salt Lake and Utah Lake. He was attacked by Indians but escaped. The City of Provo and the Provo river carry his name.

Antoine Robidoux

Antoine Robidoux He worked out of New Mexico with Etienne Provost. He built many forts including one named after him in the Uinta Basin. He traded with the Utes there. He was mainly a business man, and had a good relationship with the Utes. His speeches in the Midwest later in life would inspire some to come west.

Joseph R. Walker

Joseph R. Walker He was a trapper who later worked as guide for pioneer groups. He helped establish the main trail that went through Utah to California. He had an Indian wife and many Indian girlfriends. He also prospected for gold in California.

Government Explorers The government sent explorers to provide more precise mapping of the west. They were also sent to study different fields of science and to study the Indians. These explorers included John C. Fremont, Howard Stansbury, and John W. Gunnison. There job was to collect information.

Government Explorers John C. Fremont’s report painted a glowing picture of the west and made people want to come out here. Howard Stansbury surveyed the Great Salt Lake and its surroundings. John W. Gunnison helped establish a southern wagon route to California, and they also helped determine that a railroad should come through Northern Utah, not Central Utah.

Fremont Island Stansbury Island