Mountain men and fur traders in the Rocky Mountains did not celebrate Thanksgiving as we know it today. The national holiday was not established until 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed it during the Civil War, hoping “to heal the wounds of the nation.”[1] That s...
By Museum of the Mountain Man Staff Here a circumstance occurred which furnished the subject for a good joke upon our green Irish camp keeper. … It was the commencement of the rutting season with the elk, when the bucks frequently utter a loud cry resembling a shrill whistle, e...
By: Angie Thomas | Edited By: Jim Hardee There are few references to large, uncontrolled wildfires in the Rocky Mountains in fur trade journals. One notable exception is George Ruxton’s detailed account of a narrow escape from a wildfire near Pike’s Peak in the spring of 1847...
When many think of the animals that would have graced the western landscape during the Rocky Mountain fur trade era (1820-1840), they may assume that the animals encountered by trappers and traders in Wyoming were pretty much the same as we have today. However not all iconic “w...
Many are familiar with the 1960’s novel Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell. For years children in Language Arts classes have read this book as part of the curriculum. The young main character of the book was actually based on the early 1800’s story of the &...
Q) Did the mountain men travel back and forth to the settlements on the supply route or an alternate route? A) By 1830, through exploration and information from Native people, the American businessmen and field leaders in the fur trade had a solid and fairly accurate picture of t...
Q) How did the mountain men know when and where to meet for rendezvous? A) In general, the fur company(s) agreed on the next year’s rendezvous site before the supply caravan returned east, however the question touches on how the business communication of the Rocky Mountain fur ...
Every year the Museum receives interesting questions that our fur trade historian’s do the research and help answer for us. Here is some research by AMM member Scott Walker. Q: Did the mountain men use money or trade coins? A: A mountain man lived in a financial world wh...
An interesting view of the Museum from a drone flying above. Courtesy of Rocky Mountain Power. ...
We got an email from one of our visitors who lives in Florida, she was intrigued by the hide dresses of the Indian women and asked if by any chance they washed them, and if, then how? Our historian Jim Hardee helped us reply to her in telling us the Yucca root is just one [&helli...
Looking through some of our archives we came across a book that once belonged to local P.W Jenkins, who petitioned for Pinedale to be part of a new county, and now has a large collection of his items in the museum. This book, entitled, LaBonte was a review of the original peice b...
A couple weeks ago, a visitor came in and asked another intriguing question. She was curious if the Mountain Men ate the meat of the beaver they caught. A common phrase most mountain men specialists, when asked this, say “If it was meat they’d eat it.” True they...
Did you know, that before Yellowstone was a National Park a group of Native Americans called the Shoshone or “Sheep Eaters” inhabited the area. Contrary to popular belief, this tribe was quite inventive, and intelligent. Instead of using horses to carry and pack in th...
To those who have ever read Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” can recall with quite fondness and curiosity the character of the Mad Hatter. In his book, and later in the Walt Disney cartoon, The Mad Hatter was portrayed as a lively, witty ...
An Interview with Richard Ashburn. “Mr. Ashburn how long have you been a mountain man?” “30 years” “And what initially drew you to it?” “Probably my love of nature, I’m very intrigued just by the whole era, and I appreciate that it ...
An Interview with Jim Langstein… “How long have you been a Mountain Man?” “37 years” “What drew you to this way of life?” “My Dad gave me my first black powdered rifle when I was 14, I started going to Rendezvous and decided this wa...
An Interview with Mr. Mike “Silver-Hawk” Powell (our Museum Factor) “Hi Mike, How long have you been a Mountain Man?” “Well, I’ve studied primitive stone and bone since 1990, bought my first Teepee in ’92 and joined the AMM in 1998.”...
For years a small 1826 journal was mistaken to be Robert Campbell’s diary. The journal was donated to the Campbell House Museum in St. Louis Missouri in an envelope marked “Campbell’s Diary” and it wasn’t until recently that an analysis of the handw...
Today’s Mountain Man Term is: Cache – A safe place, often hidden, for storage of food and other supplies. The mountain man, whether an explorer, a trader, or a trapper, cached goods for several reasons. The explorer could lighten his load for a difficult part o...
Rufus B. Sage Rufus B. Sage was an American writer, journalist and later a mountain man. He is known as the author of Scenes in the Rocky Mountains published in 1846, depicting the life of fur trappers. Rufus B. Sage was born on March 17, 1817 to the family of Deacon Rufus...
When it comes to fur trade history there is nothing quite as well known as the 100 enterprising young men ad. This first call for adventurous and ambitious mountain men has been known as what started it all. This advertisement appeared in Missouri Gazette & Public Advertiser...
AMERICAN MOUNTAIN MEN ASSOCIATION Brief History of the American Mountain Men By Walt Hayward The organization “The American Mountain Men” was started in 1968 by Walt Hayward. Of the original seven members, five; Walt Hayward, Fred Hutto, Ken Smith, Dennis Jackson, Sta...
Joint Press Release February 3rd, 2010 Sublette County and Sublete County Historical Society Sublette County acquires rare fur-trade documents Auction a ‘Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity’ Sublette County and the Sublette County Historical Society are proud to announce t...
