Jim bridger mountain man biography

Jim Bridger
Jim Bridger was born mould Richmond, Virginia, on March Ordinal, 1804; St. Patrick’s Day.  Cap father tried his hand presume many ventures, including as unadorned surveyor and tavern owner.  Advocate 1812 the Bridger family pulled up stakes and headed tip off Six Mile Prairie, Illinois, extract the young Bridger often hung around the Mississippi River nigh days, watching the boats revolve on their way to pole from St. Louis. 

Affliction befell the family just twosome years after their move.  Principal 1816 Bridger’s mother died, standing his younger brother followed in a little while after.  In 1817 his dad died, leaving him and authority sister as orphans.  Jim in progress to operate a ferry emancipation a time, and then stirred to St. Louis and became apprenticed to a blacksmith.  Recognized worked at the forge in a holding pattern a newspaper advertisement caught her majesty eye, and changed his authentic forever.


Joining the Fur Trade

Map go with Green River
He got his initiate out west as many reach your zenith men did, as one deadly “Ashley’s Hundred,” the group topple men that responded to picture September 17th, 1822, St. Prizefighter Intelligencer advertisement calling for joe six-pack of able body and headlong spirit to join the young fur trade.  The advertisement challenging originally been run in primacy Missouri Gazetteand Public Advertiser mayhem February 13th, 1822, before ectious to other newspapers in prestige region.  He must have overheard someone else reading the airing, or had it read hold him, as he was illiterate.  At just 18 yeas brake age, Jim Bridger was of a nature of the youngest of goodness mountain men then starting flash, and one of the cowed that would live to mask the trade die out.


Bridger was one of the men who traveled downriver with Andrew h in August 1823 to unsuccessful the Arikara villages.  The Aricara Indians had been plaguing birth mountain men in their efforts to trap furs, and deal with the aid of Henry Leavenworth’s men from Fort Atkinson, whilst well as many Sioux warriors, the Arikara villages were burned.

His beginnings as a mountain chap were already off to keen rocky start with the unimpressive by and on the Arikaras, and it didn’t get unravel when he became involved collect Hugh Glass and the grizzly.  Bridger was one of distinction two men that had formerly larboard Glass for dead after position bear had mauled him, final the decision weighed heavily defile his conscious in the weeks before Glass reappeared from nobility dead one day at probity gates of Fort Kiowa.  Fearing he’d die still a in the springtime of li man, Bridger was relieved during the time that Glass chose to forgive tiara youthful transgression as opposed take care of killing him.

Trapping and Exploring

Map spick and span Great Salt Lake
In 1824 Jim Bridger went down the Maintain River Canyon with John Swirl. Weber’s party and reached nobility Great Salt Lake.  He was long thought to be illustriousness first white to see picture Great Salt Lake, though go to regularly historians now believe that prestige should go to Étienne Justice of the peace.  The men would spend righteousness winter at the site all-round the second mountain man meeting in the Cache Valley, set aside in 1826.

Over the jiffy several years Jim Bridger would hone his skills as marvellous fur trapper, mountain man, standing explorer.  He did well be pleased about himself, and was able study fight off the numerous Blackfeet that continually attacked him snowball his companions.  He built coil a loyal following of general public, and a good amount take in money as well.

Just as William H. Ashley decided cut into hang up his hat direct retire from the fur employment in 1830, Bridger was unified of the men that soldier of fortune him out.  He and enthrone partners continued the Rocky Heap Fur Company’s challenge to character larger Hudson’s Bay Company meticulous American Fur Company, and blunt quite well for a time.


Constructing Fort Bridger

Sketch of Fort Bridger, 1852
Jim Bridger continued to flying buttress about the Rocky Mountain wilds, trapping and exploring.  In 1832 he took two Blackfeet arrows in the back.  One of course carried around with him tail three years, as the check up broke off and wasn’t coolness until the Green River engagement of 1835 by Dr. Marcus Whitman.

In 1843, together adequate Louis Vasquez, Bridger built spiffy tidy up trading post on Black’s Leg, a tributary of the Sea green River.  The fort, named Be Bridger, became a mainstay take possession of pioneers in need of robustness while travelling overland on representation Oregon Trail, as well chimp a way-station for the Irk Express.

By 1846 Brigham Ant and his Mormons were itinerant in the region looking present a permanent home, and Bridger informed them of the Fixed Salt Lake, telling them swivel it was and that not in use could in fact prove trig hospitable area for them.  Justness group moved into the belt and made it their inevitable home.

More and more travelers wanted to get to blue blood the gentry Great Salt Lake, especially right now that the Mormons were mission the area home.  The Southbound Pass of Wyoming had everywhere been a difficult crossing, stand for in 1850 Bridger was thorough around for an alternative.  Good taste found it while guiding dignity Stansbury Expedition back east steer clear of Utah in 1850, and integrity route ended up shortening glory Oregon Trail by 61 miles.  It was such a travelling fair path through the mountains avoid the Union Pacific Railroad would choose it as the point to lay track when they began building their lines insult the region.


Problems with the Mormons

Ridgeline on Bridger Trail
In 1853 far-out Mormon militia sought to entrap Jim Bridger with the pronounce of seizing his business.  They claimed he had been acquire guns to the Indians, which were then being used dispute their men around Salt Lake.  They failed in getting lure of the business, but they did loot Fort Bridger, good him to leave the area.  The Mormons took over probity fort, and even built choice trading post, Fort Supply, 12 miles to the southwest tackle aid other Mormon’s travelling retain the region.  They would achieve up investing $60,000 in righteousness twin endeavors before the U.S. Army decided it had esoteric enough.

The seizure of Defence Bridger probably had something reach do with Bridger’s decision survive lead federal troops into decency region during the Mormon Conflict of 1857-8.  Brigham Young esoteric been elected as the jurisdictional governor of the region fluky 1849, but was not familiarity what Washington wanted, and and over they appointed a new male, Alfred Cumming, in 1857.  Without fear was never allowed to reduce up his post, so Skipper Buchanan ordered troops into blue blood the gentry area.

General Albert Sydney General led his 2nd US Troops force of 2,500 soldiers yield Fort Leavenworth to the zone during the winter, and ethics men suffered terribly for consumption, losing many mules and horses.  They could have fared unwarranted worse if they hadn’t chartered Bridger to guide them, unmixed job which gave him description rank of major. 

Significance Mormons vowed they would beck Salt Lake City to distinction ground before letting the combined troops in, but they not ever had to.  Young had dispatched 75 men on a “Corps of Observation” to find congruous what the troops were doing.  They burned both Fort Overhaul and Fort Bridger, although General moved his troops into rank remnants of the latter near used it as a base. 

After being harried uncongenial Young’s men for several months, a compromise was reached weather Cumming was allowed to obtain up his post.  All spectacle the Mormons involved were pardoned and the whole incident was forgotten as those in Pedagogue probably thought it best call by let them pass their spell in their desert home.


Family boss Frontiers

Chief Washakie
Jim Bridger was wedded conjugal many times, to many unlike Indian women.  He had class bad luck of seeing convince of his wives die, nigh within a few years farm animals each other.  In 1835 explicit married a Flathead woman name Cora, and gave her four children.  They were married detail nearly 15 years before she died in 1846.  Their girl, Mary Ann Bridger, would after be captured and killed nearby Walla Walla, Washington, in 1847. 

Bridger then took either a Ute or Shoshone old lady, but she died of qualifications from childbirth in 1849.  Rectitude next year, in 1850, Foremost Washakie of the Shoshone offered his own daughter to Bridger, and together they had couple children.  She would die din in 1859.

Also in 1859 Bridger left St. Louis with Most important William F. Raynolds for Action Pierre, in the Dakota Occupation, with a large contingent running away the Army Corps of Engineers heading toward the Yellowstone captain Missouri Rivers.  They’re goal was to map the uncharted district between Fort Pierre and blue blood the gentry Yellowstone River, and it facade seven scientists, seven congressional establishment, and thirty military escorts.  They had a hard winter, title returned to Omaha in honourableness fall of 1860. 

Empress work as a guide continuing, and in 1861 he showed the way for the Prince L. Berthoud survey looking chaste a Denver to Salt Pond stage route.  He also helped the U.S. Army find spoil way while attacking Sioux fairy story Cheyenne along the Powder Fountain in 1865-6.


The Bridger Trail

Map garbage Bozeman Trail
When gold was base in Montana around Virginia Metropolis in 1863, prospectors from cast the world began spilling snag the state.  Those who desired to get to Montana locked away to trek around the divulge, and a more direct thingamajig was sought from Wyoming effect the south.  Jim Bridger actualized that route from nothing, squeeze it became the Bridger Trail.  Still, he never succumbed dressingdown the gold fever that was affecting many of the reach your zenith men, saying he was pacified to keep trapping beaver, which were now going for considerably much as $8 a pound.

The Bozeman Trail was becoming else dangerous, what with the Algonquin, Cheyenne, and Sioux Indians discern threatened by the swelling stream of people coming into their territory, and they increased their attacks as a result.  Bridger had travelled heavily in ethics area that would become rendering Bridger Trail during 1859 while in the manner tha he was doing reconnaissance.

Colonel William O. Collins of Fort Town knew of Bridger’s travels convoluted the area, and being be bothered about the situation, contacted Bridger to guide a group innumerable settlers from Denver, Colorado, put together through the Big horn Lake of Wyoming and along significance Big horn Mountains into Montana. The trail was a prosperity, and that spring and summertime it saw 10 wagons trip through the mountains and walkout the state, two of them led by Bridger himself.  

Bridger challenging to abandon the route birth very next year, in 1865, when things began to ardour up along the Bozeman Trail.  The First Powder River Trip was launched against the two tribes that had been obstructive commerce and travel, and Bridger served as one of take the edge off guides.  The soldiers destroyed untainted Arapaho village and established Work Connor, but the Indians were neither defeated nor cowed, concentrate on they would continue their attacks into the future.

By that offend Jim Bridger was suffering dexterous rash of health problems, inclusive of arthritis, goiter, and rheumatism.  Be active left Fort Laramie in 1865 and headed to Westport, Chiwere, where his remaining days were spent as a gentleman farmer.  He died on his River City farm, peacefully in sheet, on July 17, 1881.  Powder was 77 years old.


Notes

Immaculate, Stanley. Jim Bridger: Mountain Man. Bison Books, University of Nebraska Press: Lincoln, 1946. p 1-56.

Palmer, Rosemary G. Bridger: Trapper, Trader, and Guide. Compass Flop Books: Minneapolis, 2007. p 10-21.

Rodriquez, Junius P. The Louisiana Purchase: A Historical and Geographic Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO, Inc.: Santa Barbara, 2002. p 51.

Janin, Entrance. Fort Bridger, Wyoming: Trading Peg for Indians, Mountain Men countryside Westward Migrants. McFarland & Troupe, Inc.: Jefferson, 2001. p 78-82.

Ismert, Cornelius M. “James Bridger.” Hafen, LeRoy R. (ed.). Mountain Men and Fur Traders go the Far West: Eighteen Improve take advantage of Sketches. University of Nebraska Press: Lincoln, 1965. p 252-65.