Mountain Men 1
Widely traveled mountain man who recognized South Pass for what it was-an easily traveled pass over the Continental Divide.
Jedidiah Smith
Led the first expedition of free trappers up the Missouri R. in 1822 and devised the rendezvous system.
William Henry Ashley
African American who pioneered a safer route over the Sierra Nevada avoiding Donner Pass.
James "Medicine Calf" Beckwourth
Built a trading post on the Santa Fe Trail. Married into the Cheyenne tribe and tried to mediate the Cheyenne and whites.
William Bent
Explored Yellowstone, the Great Salt Lake, and built a fort named for himself on the Oregon Trail. Had a photographic memory.
Jim Bridger
Led the first wagon trains over the Oregon Trail.
Thomas 'Broken Hand' Fitzpatrick
Mauled by a grizzly in 1822, he was left by a young Jim Bridger and another man to die. Vowing revenge he crawled to civilization and help, only to forgive Bridger.
Hugh Glass
Generally credited as the most reliable man in the L and C expedition, killed by the Blackfeet while trapping near the Three Forks of the Missouri River in MT.
George Droulliard
Member of the L and C Expedition, first white man to enter Yellowstone and famous for his 'run' from the Blackfeet.
John Colter
Mountain man and explorer who became famous as the guide for John Fremont's chief scout in Fremont's explorations of the west.
Kit Carson
Famous for his feud with the Crow Tribe for the murder of this Flathead wife, he marked his kills by removing and eating the liver.
John "Liver Eating" Johnston
Established a trading post at the mouth of Pryor Creek, MT in 1807 and was one of the founders of the Missouri Fur Company.
Manuel Lisa
Led numerous trapping 'brigades' for the NW Fur Company and HBC from Vancouver into the interior of the West.
Peter Skene Ogden
Early trapper, wounded in an Indian fight and had a leg amputated. With a wooden leg he continued his career and became famous as a horse thief.
Thomas 'Peg Leg' Smith
The fur bearing animal that was the 'prize' of the fur trade-used in making top hats.
Beaver
Mountain man famous for his skill as a self taught doctor; led the first wagon train into the Willamette Valley of Oregon.
Robert 'Doc' Newell
Northwest mountain man who later led the movement for Oregon's territorial status and statehood.
Joe Meek
Trapped the Southwest and California and was the first white man to see the Yosemite Valley. Helped found the California Trail, the route of the Gold Rush.
Joseph Walker
Involved in the Taos fur trade and establishment of the Santa Fe Trail; led troops in the retaking of Taos during the Mexican War.
Ceran St. Vrain
Partner in the Rocky Mountain Fur Company, he led the caravans to the yearly rendezvous, returning to St. Louis with furs.
William Sublette
Early mountain man and explorer who worked extensively in modern day Utah-a university in Utah is named for him.
John Henry Weber
Famous for his ill nature, he led John Fremont's last exploration, advising Fremont not to travel in winter, advice Fremont ignored. Killed by the Utes in 1849,
William S. "Old Bill" Williams
One of the most respected mountain men and traders, the city of Provo, Utah is named for him.
Etienne Provost
Established a fur trading empire from the Great Lakes to the Pacific and became the U.S.'s first multi-millionaire. The town on the Oregon side of the mouth of the Columbia R. is named for him.
John Jacob Astor
Led a major U.S. government sponsored expedition, exploring and mapping much of the West from 1832-1834. The first dam as you come up the Columbia R. is named for him.
Benjamin Bonneville