Description

Published by Museum of the Mountain Man – 2005

Edited by Fred R. Gowans & Brenda D. Francis

138 pages, 8 x 11 inches, Hardback 

The Green River Valley has a story to tell….

In 1824, a group of fur trappers crossed South Pass, in what is now western Wyoming. They entered the beaver-rich valley of the Green River and kicked off the Rocky Mountain Fur Trade. Little did they know, they would also create America’s first far western hero, the Mountain Man.

For 16 years, the Green River Valley served as the center of the mountain fur trade, supplying prime beaver pelts as well as hosting a majority of the renowned annual rendezvous. On this stage, some of the most colorful events in the early history of the American West took place.

This book introduces the history of the fur trade and the cast of characters who plied the unpredictable and sometimes fatal business in Wyoming’s Green River Valley until 1840. Meet the spirited individuals from all walks of life who were willing to risk all they had, every day, for a chance to gain wealth, power and adventure through the harvest of skins.

Contents

Introduction – by Brenda D. Francis

The Rendezvous Era – by Kerry R. Oman

The “Fair of the Wilderness” – by Dale F. Topham

Attire, Arms & Accoutrements – by Stephen V. Banks

Key Men of the Rendezvous – by Dale F. Topham

A Fur Trade Timeline

Indian Participation in the Rocky Mountain Fur Trade – by Jay H. Buckley

Books, Bibles, and Beaver Trappers – by Doug M. Erickson

Images of the Mountain Man – by S. Matthew Despain

Map and Historical Sites – by Kerry R. Oman

The Museum of the Mountain Man – by Laurie Hartwg

Other Contributing Authors

Jim Hardee

Kelly Sanderson

Lawrence L Francis

Jim Wirshborn

Artists

Alfed Jacob Miller

John Clymer

David Wright

Richard Luce

Carl Bodmer

Joseph Fama

Charles M. Russel

Tucker Smith

Nicholas Coleman

Jim Norton