The Quintessential Mountain Man

Jim Bridger was the epitome of the hardy mountain man.  As a child he went from Virginia to the

frontier city of St. Louis with his family.  At 13 he was apprenticed as a blacksmith.  At 19 he became a member of William Henry Ashley's first expedition to the Rockies.  He was a quick learner, tall and with a keen eye.  Although he became a legend as an Indian fighter, he tried to get along with the Indians.  He had three Indian wives, each from a different tribe and each died young.

Bridger's friends called him "Gabe".  He was notorious for his tall tales, but many of his tales were based on real events.  Once he floated down the Bear River to settle a bet on the direction the river flowed, ending in Great Salt Lake (probably the first white man to see it).  Due to the salty water, he believed he was on the Pacific Coast.

Most of Bridger's maps were the most accurate of maps available.  Although he was illiterate, he spoke French, Spanish and several Indian languages. 

He roamed the Rockies as a trapper, trader and eventual partner in a fur company.  In 1843 he built a fort on the Oregon Trail where he sold supplies, did repair work, and gave advice to travelers.  For 10 years he was successful until a raid by the Mormon vigilantes destroyed the fort.  Bridger moved his family to a Missouri farm, came back alone to the West as a guide.  He was a scout for the U.S. Army in the "Mormon War". In 1866 he marked the Bozeman Trail from Nebraska to the Montana gold mines.

Bridger was disabled by arthritis and failing eyesight when he retired in 1867.  By then the coming of the railroads saw the end of the West that Bridger so loved.

Next time...Life in the wild
_________________________
Today in Pioneer History:  On  March 28, 1776, Juan Bautista de Anza, one of the great western pathfinders of the 18th century, arrives at the future site of San Francisco with 247 colonists.