1825 Fur Trade Rendezvous – Chasing General William H. Ashley’s Return
An Incredible journey of perseverance and history to recreate a 2000 mile trek by General William Henry Ashley and his men from the first Fur Trade Rendezvous of 1825 from southwest Wyoming to St. Louis, MO. These three men replicated this incredible feat of stamina using only what Gen. Ashley and his men would have had with them. They traveled700 miles on horseback, 400by bull boat and 900 on the flooded Missouri River using a recreated one third scale keelboat called the Muskrat.
ISBN – 979-8-8685-1055-7
164 Pages
Softback
6″ x 9″
Xulon Press, 2025
For enthusiasts of the western fur trade, there are precious few articles of clothing and personal gear of the trappers. Accurate re-creation of the period becomes difficult, especially since late 19th and early 20th century artists greatly stereotyped the image of the “mountain man.”
Fortunately, there was an able and talented artist who was there – Alfred Jacob Miller.
Miller was a classically trained artist. Upon being hired by William Drummand Stewart, A Scottish Nobleman. Miller captured Stewart’s journey visually. As a result it was a literal grand tour of the Western fur trade including an American Fur Company caravan. Miller was the only artist known to have sketched and painted a rendezvous and pre-1840 mountaineers.
The purpose of this sketchbook is to bring together the most usable information about the clothing and accoutrements of the original mountaineers.
2025 Rocky Mountain Fur Trade Journal, Volume 19
Beaver Hats: Material Culture in the Americas
by Maya Peters-Greño
This article looks at three North American communities – Euro-Americans, enslaved people and indigenous populations – to show how beaver top hats were used to navigate racial hierarchies from Early America through the post-Rocky Mountain Fur Trade Era.
The Eloquence of Mountain Man Lingo
by Jim Hardee
A mountaineer’s speech pattern is often as defining of a frontiersman’s character as are his actions, ranking as high as trapping beaver, hunting buffalo or fighting a grizzly bear – but it is truly accurate or based on historical works?
La Prairie de la Messe: Reconstructing Father De Smet’s Mass from the 1840 Rendezvous
by George Capps and Polly Capps Paule
by examining primary sources and material culture, this duo makes an artistic, yet historically correct, painting of Father Pierre-Jean De Smet’s Catholic Mass at the final rendezvous of the Rocky Mountain Fur Trade Era.
Two Long Walks: James Clyman sand Thomas Fitzpatrick, 1824
by Scott Walker
This article re-examines the dramatic adventures of two early mountain men in their attempts to get packs of fur from the Green River Valley, back across South Pass, and down the Platte River to market their catch.
Swords of the Fur Trade
by Donald Wade Douglas
It is easy to visualize swashbuckling Musketeers, Vikings, pirates and cavalry soldiers flashing their sabers about, but the idea of a mountain man defending himself with a lengthy blade is less common. This article explores the presence and use of swords during the fur trade era.
Museum of the Mountain Man, 2025
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.
23: The Place We Call Home
Sublette County, Wyoming, is colloquially known as “God’s Country.” It is also thought of as that place on the far side of the Wind River Mountains. To go somewhere, you first have to start by going in the opposite direction. It is remote and sometimes relegated to simply a place en route to the larger city of Jackson. However, its remote nature blesses it with a tremendous variety of flora and fauna, many of which are beautiful in their untouched nature.
Discovered by Native Americans, they regarded it as a place of abundant wildlife and clean water which was a wonderful place to summer. Then came the mountain men, fur trappers and goods traders, who held six of their famous annual supply-trading Rocky Mountain Rendezvous gatherings in Sublette County. The area remains a truly special place with long winters, non-existent springs, but summers and falls that bless the senses. The author endeavors to capture and showcase the raw beauty of the place he calls home.
ISBN – 978-1-6629-3721-7
206 Pages
Hardback
11 1/4″ x 8 3/4″
Gatekeeper Press, 2023
A Collector’s Guide to the Savage 99 Rifle and its Predecessors, the Models 1895 and 1899
Discover the ultimate guide to the illustrious Savage 99 family of centerfire rifles in this comprehensive and photo-driven masterpiece.
From the very inception to the final production, this groundbreaking book explores every facet of the Savage 99 series, encompassing even the elusive Montreal Home Guard musket used during WWI. Captivating readers with more than 250 vivid color images, it becomes the first-ever publication solely focused on the Model 99’s visual portrayal. Delve into the minutiae of each model, unearthing their unique variations while drawing illuminating comparisons among similar models. Within its pages, myths, misconceptions, and catalog inaccuracies are effectively dispelled, ensuring an accurate and enlightening account of the Savage 99 legacy. For the discerning collector and enthusiast, the book reveals complete production figures meticulously arranged by serial number and year.
Beyond the ordinary, the narrative indulges readers with enthralling insights into special features and the realm of factory-engraved rifles. Notably, it dedicates extensive coverage to the splendid artistry of Enoc Tue, a master engraver of the early 20th century. Delight in the detailed exposition of the distinguished 99K and the revered PE and DE models, as well as the intriguing world of commemorative editions.
ISBN – 978-0-7643-5026-9
160 Pages
Hardback
9″ x 11 1/4″
Schiffer Publishing Ltd, 2016
A Home for Steamboat
A Home for Steamboat is a story about a horse with and unthinkable spirit. Widely known as the symbol of Wyoming, the bucking bronco’s silhouette has been a symbol on the state’s license plates since 1936.
Steamboat was cared for as a foal by a loving family and then later sold to a wealthy ranch owner. His cowhands tried to break the young horse, but the born bucker had a mind of his own. Steamboat could not be broken. He was sold again, this time to a man who felt a kinship with the horse’s strong will and independence. Steamboat had finally found his true home.
ISBN – 979-8-218-39862-0
46 Pages
Hardback
10.25″ x 10.25″
Mountain Stars Press, 2025
A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains
Women were scarce enough in the West of the late nineteenth century, and a middle-aged English lady traveling alone, by horseback, was a real phenomenon. It was during the autumn and early winter of 1873 that Isabella Bird made the extended tour of the Rocky Mountain area of Colorado, when she was on her way back to England from the Sandwich Islands. What she called “no region for tourists and women” is today a popular resort.
The that make up the volume were first published in 1879. They tell of magnificent, unspoiled landscapes and abundant wildlife, of encounters with rattlesnakes, wolves, pumas and grizzly bears, and her reactions to the volatile passions of the miners and pioneer settlers.
ISBN – 978-0-8061-1328-9
256 Pages
Softback
5″ x 8″
University of Oklahoma Press, 1960
A Majority of Scoundrels
An Informal History of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company
An invigorating narrative captures the peak years (1822-1834) of the fur trade in the Mountain West, the period in which the the Rocky Mountain Fur Trade Company grew to be “the greatest name in the mountains.”
This lively prose brings to life the principle trappers – colorful figures including Jim Bridger, Hugh Glass, James Beckwourth, Joe Meek, Jed Smith, and many more. Using their journals, business records, and other sources, Berry laces his back-country narrative with an analysis of the power struggle between St. Louis businessmen who controlled the trade and the trappers.
ISBN: 978-0-87071-089-6
432 Pages
Softback
5 7/8″ x 9″
Oregon State University Press, second printing 2022
A Name of Her Own
During the fur-trapping era of the early 1800’s, with two rambunctious young sons to raise, Marie Dorion refuses to be left behind in St. Louis when her husband heads west. Faced with hostile landscapes, a untried expedition leader, and her volatile husband, Marie finds that the daring act she hoped would bind her family together may in the end tear them apart.
History records that on the journey, Marie meets the famous Lewis and Clark interpreter, Sacajawea, who-like Marie-is pregnant, married to a mixed-blood man of French Canadian and Indian descent, and raising a son in a white world. Together, the women forge a friendship that will strengthen and uphold Marie long after they part, even as she fights for her children’s very survival. With courage and faith that can only be fueled by a mother’s love, she endures. Her story reminds us that women are bound together in history, now and forever.
ISBN: 978-1-57856-499-6
388 Pages
Softback
5 1/2″ x 8 1/4″
WaterBrook Press, 2002
A Newer World – Kit Carson, John C. Fremont, and the Claiming of the American West
Between 1842 and 1854 John C. Fremont, renowned as the nineteenth century’s greatest explorer, and Kit Carson, the legendary scout and Indian fighter, boldly ventured into untamed territory to fulfill America’s “manifest destiny.” Drawing on little-known primary sources, as well as his own travels through the lands Fremont and Carson explored, David Roberts re-creates their expeditions, second in significance only to those of Lewis and Clark. A Newer World is a harrowing narrative of hardship and adventure and a poignant reminder of the cultural tragedy that westward expansion inflicted on the Native American.
ISBN – 978-0-684-87021-2
320 Pages
Softback
5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″
A Touchstone Book, 2000
A Pronghorn Year – A Visual Tribute to North America’s Pronghorn
“In A Pronghorn Year, Dick Kettlewell has condensed many years of observation and photography to create a book of singular insight into the biology and behavior of a treasured American icon. This thoroughly researched, nicely written, and beautifully photographed book will delight and enlighten those who love nature and who photograph wildlife, and particularly those lucky enough to have encountered pronghorn on the open lands of the American West. Most important, the book serves as a resource for those who seek to understand and protect the important place pronghorn occupy in the ecological landscape.”
– George D. Lepp, Field Editor Outdoor Photographer Magazine
ISBN: 978-1-56037-601-9
80 Pages
Softback
10″ x 8 1/2″
Farcountry Press, 2014
A Quillwork Companion – An Illustrated Guide to Techniques of Porcupine Quill Embroidery
2nd Edition
The author, an expert at her craft, describes and illustrates all of the basic and advanced designs used by the American Indian. The text is easy to understand and each step has been fully illustrated with diagrams, figures, and new color photographs. Also included are many of the secrets of the art that allow the reader to create truly beautiful quillwork.
After an examination of the basic tools and stitches, the zigzag, simple band, single thread line, quill wrapping and quill plaiting techniques are described and explained. With this background the craftsman is taken step by step through the production of such advanced techniques as two quill zigzag, two quill triangle, two quill diamond, three quill double diamond, multiple quill plaiting, checker weave, single thread sawtooth zigzag edging, wrapped filled edging and the techniques used in the creation of rosettes. In addition, birchbark and loom quillwork are explained, and extensive appendices covering the preparation of rawhide and brain tanned leather and a much-needed explanation of old-time dyes for porcupine quills are included.
With over 200 illustrations and 60 photographs in full color, and 10 more in black and white, this is a fine addition to the field of arts and crafts and a must for the traditionally oriented craftsman.
ISBN – 1-929572-37-9
90 Pages
Softback
8 1/2″ x 11″
Crazy Crow Trading Post LLC, 2023
A Taste of Cowboy – Ranch Recipes and Tales From the Trail
Whether he’s beating Bobby Flay at chicken-fried steak on the Food Network, catering for a barbecue, bar mitzvah, or wedding, or cooking for cowboys in the middle of nowhere, Kent Rollins makes comfort food that satisfies. This gifted cook, TV contestant, and storyteller takes us into his frontier world with simple food anyone can do.
A cowboy’s day starts early and ends late. Kent offers labor-saving breakfasts like Egg Bowls with Smoked Cream Sauce. For lunch or dinner, there’s 20-minute Green Pepper Frito Pie, hands-off, four-ingredient Sweet Heat Chopped Barbecue Sandwiches, or mild and smoky Roasted Bean-Stuffed Poblano Peppers. He even parts with his prized recipe for Bread Pudding with Whisky Cream Sauce. (The secret to its lightness? Hamburger buns.) Kent gets creative with ingredients on everyone’s shelves, using lime soda to caramelize Sparkling Taters and balsamic vinegar to coax the sweetness out of Strawberry Pie.
ISBN – 978-0-544-27500-3
248 Pages
Hardback
8 1/4″ x 10 1/4″
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015
A Taste of Wyoming – Favorite Recipes from the Cowboy State
This cookbook is a divine blend of Wyoming’s rich culinary heritage and contemporary cuisine. This exquisite cookbook features sophisticated interpretations of Western dishes from Wyoming’s finest restaurants, lodges, and bed-and-breakfasts- as well as classic Cowboy State favorites.
ISBN – 978-1-56037-820-4
126 Pages
Softback
8.5″ x 10″ x .5″
Farcountry Press, 2008
A Way Across the Mountain – Joseph Walker’s 1833 Trans – Sierran Passage and the Myth of Yosemite’s Discovery.
From July to November 1833, Joseph R. Walker led a brigade of fifty-eight fur trappers, with two hundred horses and a year’s provisions, from the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming to the Pacific coast of central California. Toward the end of their journey the Walker brigade crossed the Sierra Nevada, becoming the first non-Native people to traverse the range from east to west. That crossing, made long and brutal by bewildering terrain and deep snow, is widely and rightly considered a milestone in the exploration of intermontane North America.
Following Walker’s death in 1876, an alluring tale arose concerning his trans-Sierran route. In the course of the crossing, goes the story, Walker found himself on the northern rim of Yosemite Valley at the plungepoint of North America’s tallest waterfall, staring into the most awesome mountain chasm on the continent. Over the decades since then, this time-honored tale has hardened to folklore. Dozens of historical works have construed it as a towering moment in the opening of the West.
ISBN – 978-0-8061-5754-2
317 Pages
Softback
7″ x 10″
University of Oklahoma Press, 2017
