Mountain Man Hall of Fame

In 1837, Washington Irving wrote “There is, perhaps, no class of men on the face of the earth, says captain Bonneville, who lead a life of more continued exertion, peril, and excitement, and who are more enamoured of their occupations, than the free trappers of the west.” These men who went to the mountains were legends in their own time. Every generation since has continued that fascination to this day. Often adopting native lifestyles, they became one of the first iconic characters of the American West.

The beginning of the bicentennial of the rendezvous era (2025-2040) is a good time to recognize the individuals that set themselves apart from the rest with the founding of the Mountain Man Hall of Fame. Each year a new class will be selected.  A brief biography highlighting what makes each man stand out among their peers will be published in the Rocky Mountain Fur Trade Journal and available on this website.  Additionally, each man will be featured at Green River Rendezvous and in the Museum of the Mountain Man. 

The first class of five was chosen by the Historical Advisory Board (HAB) to the Museum of the Mountain Man, and announced at the 2024 National Fur Trade Symposium on September 14, 2024. Each inductee was presented and defended by a lively debate followed by a best of class vote by symposium attendees with the following results:

Class of 2025

Nominations

Anyone can nominate their favorite mountain man by submitting an up to 1000-word informal style essay. This is not a biography, but an outline of important accomplishments that make the subject worthy of the Hall of Fame. Criteria making greatness are not defined, but might include firsts, longevity, best, impact, fame, significant events, success, unique, best represent a group, etc. The measures that set the subject apart from their peers. Use previous nominations for ideas.

For the Class of 2026, eligible nominations will be limited to mountain men.

Mountain men are persons who ventured to the American or British Rocky Mountain for the primary purpose of acquiring beaver pelts during the period following Lewis & Clark (1807), through the end of the rendezvous era (1840). This can include trappers, traders and explorers.

This creates a finite and modest sized group of candidates. Harvey Carter estimated that there were no more than 3000 men engaged in the Rocky Mountain fur trade from 1810-1840. LeRoy Hafen highlighted just 292 men who enough was known to produce short biographies, and Jim Hannon documented just 314 verifiable deaths in the mountains from 1800-1840. In future years, new Hall of Fame categories might be introduced recognizing supporting people such as businessmen and natives involved in the mountain fur trade, and historians (past and present) and living history reenactors who keep the era alive.

Up to 5 new members will be selected each year.

The Historical Advisory Board (HAB) will choose 10 finalists to be posted on the internet for comment and straw polls. HAB will then make final selections to be presented at Green River Rendezvous.

Unsuccessful nominations can be revised and resubmitted in following years.

Deadline is January 1 of each year.
Limit one nomination per person per year.

Email nomination to halloffame@mmmuseum.com

Historical Advisory Board
Jim Hardee, Clay Landry, Scott Walker, Todd Glover, Doyle Reid