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2026 Rocky Mountain Fur Trade Journal, Volume 20

Beyond Alfred Jacob Miller: One Artist’s Perspective
by Tim V. Tanner
This article looks at the works of other Western illustrators discusses historical correctness and how reliable later artists are regarding accurate portrayals of the fur trade era.

John Colter and the Winter of 1806 – 1807
by Lawrence Loendorf
This paper investigates where John Colter spent the winter of 1806-1807, and hypothesizes that Colter relied on his knowledge of the Yellowstone area to pursue trade with Indian bands, particularly the Mountain Shoshone, in later years.

Bearded Mountain Men: Fact or Fiction?
by Clay J. Landry
This article looks at the styles of facial hair found on mountaineers during the Rocky Mountain fur trade by examining surveys, period inventories, trade ledgers, records, journals, and cultural norms of the time. Landry finds a surprising low percentage of accounts of men who sported heavy facial hair and long flowing beards.

The Vindication of Jim Bridger and His Tales of Yellowstone
by Tony Huhn
Mountain Man Jim Bridger’s legendary stories of the Yellowstone area were often discounted as tall tales, until others explored and verified the curiosities. This led to the formation of the first national park and vindicated Bridger after decades of disbelief and ridicule.

Hudson’s Bay Point Blankets: Notes on Colors and Prices

by Thomas H. Holloway

In addition to examining the development of “points” on trade blankets, this article pays particular attention to the four-band, four color point blankets which became iconic markers of 20th century Canadian identity. The author does a deep dive into Hudson’s Bay Company records uncovering orders and inventories of these products to determine the extent “candy stripe” blankets were present during the fur trade era of the early 1800s.