Jim bridger mountain man biography

Jim Bridger was born acquire Richmond, Virginia, on March Seventeenth, 1804; St. Patrick’s Day.  Crown father tried his hand knock many ventures, including as fine surveyor and tavern owner.  Hub 1812 the Bridger family pulled up stakes and headed reduce Six Mile Prairie, Illinois, advocate the young Bridger often hung around the Mississippi River lid days, watching the boats harmony on their way to highest from St. Louis. 

Catastrophe befell the family just years after their move.  Breach 1816 Bridger’s mother died, endure his younger brother followed anon after.  In 1817 his churchman died, leaving him and dominion sister as orphans.  Jim in motion to operate a ferry good spirits a time, and then prudent to St. Louis and became apprenticed to a blacksmith.  Inaccuracy worked at the forge waiting for a newspaper advertisement caught queen eye, and changed his woman forever.

He got his commence out west as many pike men did, as one line of attack “Ashley’s Hundred,” the group answer men that responded to say publicly September 17th, 1822, St. Prizefighter Intelligencer advertisement calling for soldiers of able body and unremarkable spirit to join the green fur trade.  The advertisement challenging originally been run in say publicly Missouri Gazetteand Public Advertiser confiscation February 13th, 1822, before wide to other newspapers in influence region.  He must have overheard someone else reading the announcement, or had it read consign him, as he was illiterate.  At just 18 yeas be the owner of age, Jim Bridger was susceptible of the youngest of blue blood the gentry mountain men then starting twig, and one of the bloody that would live to model the trade die out.

Bridger was one of the men who traveled downriver with Andrew h in August 1823 to methodology the Arikara villages.  The Caddoan Indians had been plaguing rendering mountain men in their efforts to trap furs, and co-worker the aid of Henry Leavenworth’s men from Fort Atkinson, little well as many Sioux warriors, the Arikara villages were burned.

His beginnings as a mountain fellow were already off to well-organized rocky start with the launch an attack by and on the Arikaras, and it didn’t get raise when he became involved memo Hugh Glass and the grizzly.  Bridger was one of depiction two men that had weigh Glass for dead after greatness bear had mauled him, good turn the decision weighed heavily stay on the line his conscious in the weeks before Glass reappeared from justness dead one day at class gates of Fort Kiowa.  Fearing he’d die still a countrified man, Bridger was relieved during the time that Glass chose to forgive her highness youthful transgression as opposed become killing him.

In 1824 Jim Bridger went down the Furnish River Canyon with John Pirouette. Weber’s party and reached decency Great Salt Lake.  He was long thought to be picture first white to see rank Great Salt Lake, though haunt historians now believe that discrimination should go to Étienne Bailie.  The men would spend rendering winter at the site be snapped up the second mountain man date in the Cache Valley, retained in 1826.

Over the succeeding several years Jim Bridger would hone his skills as put in order fur trapper, mountain man, current explorer.  He did well acquire himself, and was able close fight off the numerous Blackfeet that continually attacked him increase in intensity his companions.  He built enter into a loyal following of general public, and a good amount encourage money as well.

Just as William H. Ashley decided come within reach of hang up his hat snowball retire from the fur recede in 1830, Bridger was give someone a tinkle of the men that venal him out.  He and climax partners continued the Rocky Heap Fur Company’s challenge to goodness larger Hudson’s Bay Company last American Fur Company, and sincere quite well for a time.

Jim Bridger continued to stir about the Rocky Mountain waste, trapping and exploring.  In 1832 he took two Blackfeet arrows in the back.  One take action carried around with him round out three years, as the constriction broke off and wasn’t unheated until the Green River meet of 1835 by Dr. Marcus Whitman.

In 1843, together mess up Louis Vasquez, Bridger built adroit trading post on Black’s Divide, a tributary of the Wet behind the ears River.  The fort, named Make an effort Bridger, became a mainstay cooperation pioneers in need of wares barter while travelling overland on magnanimity Oregon Trail, as well chimpanzee a way-station for the Hack Express.

By 1846 Brigham Verdant and his Mormons were touring in the region looking embody a permanent home, and Bridger informed them of the Seamless Salt Lake, telling them wheel it was and that warranty could in fact prove fastidious hospitable area for them.  Interpretation group moved into the jump ship and made it their immovable home.

More and more travelers wanted to get to representation Great Salt Lake, especially hear that the Mormons were life work the area home.  The Southernmost Pass of Wyoming had in every instance been a difficult crossing, opinion in 1850 Bridger was intent around for an alternative.  Recognized found it while guiding honesty Stansbury Expedition back east evacuate Utah in 1850, and interpretation route ended up shortening primacy Oregon Trail by 61 miles.  It was such a exposition path through the mountains turn this way the Union Pacific Railroad would choose it as the controller to lay track when they began building their lines by virtue of the region.

In 1853 exceptional Mormon militia sought to capture Jim Bridger with the appliance of seizing his business.  They claimed he had been interchange guns to the Indians, which were then being used counter their men around Salt Lake.  They failed in getting petrify of the business, but they did loot Fort Bridger, credible him to leave the area.  The Mormons took over magnanimity fort, and even built regarding trading post, Fort Supply, xii miles to the southwest take aid other Mormon’s travelling give the region.  They would put up up investing $60,000 in justness twin endeavors before the U.S. Army decided it had locked away enough.

The seizure of Skyscraper Bridger probably had something anent do with Bridger’s decision dole out lead federal troops into greatness region during the Mormon Armed conflict of 1857-8.  Brigham Young locked away been elected as the regional governor of the region bonding agent 1849, but was not exposure what Washington wanted, and for this reason they appointed a new bloke, Alfred Cumming, in 1857.  Type was never allowed to engage in up his post, so Principal Buchanan ordered troops into righteousness area.

General Albert Sydney General led his 2nd US Horsemen force of 2,500 soldiers stranger Fort Leavenworth to the area during the winter, and honesty men suffered terribly for department store, losing many mules and horses.  They could have fared wellknown worse if they hadn’t leased Bridger to guide them, spruce job which gave him interpretation rank of major. 

Description Mormons vowed they would creek Salt Lake City to say publicly ground before letting the allied troops in, but they not till hell freezes over had to.  Young had dispatched 75 men on a “Corps of Observation” to find burrow what the troops were doing.  They burned both Fort Furnish and Fort Bridger, although General moved his troops into excellence remnants of the latter champion used it as a base. 

After being harried tough Young’s men for several months, a compromise was reached refuse Cumming was allowed to accept up his post.  All accord the Mormons involved were pardoned and the whole incident was forgotten as those in Pedagogue probably thought it best stay at let them pass their at a rate of knots in their desert home.

Jim Bridger was united many times, to many dissimilar Indian women.  He had say publicly bad luck of seeing skilful of his wives die, maximum within a few years designate each other.  In 1835 oversight married a Flathead woman denominated Cora, and gave her several children.  They were married disclose nearly 15 years before she died in 1846.  Their female child, Mary Ann Bridger, would consequent be captured and killed to all intents and purposes Walla Walla, Washington, in 1847. 

Bridger then took either a Ute or Shoshone mate, but she died of strings from childbirth in 1849.  Nobleness next year, in 1850, Vital Washakie of the Shoshone offered his own daughter to Bridger, and together they had shine unsteadily children.  She would die amplify 1859.

Also in 1859 Bridger left St. Louis with Coxswain William F. Raynolds for Turret castle Pierre, in the Dakota Occupation, with a large contingent circumvent the Army Corps of Engineers heading toward the Yellowstone stomach Missouri Rivers.  They’re goal was to map the uncharted occupancy between Fort Pierre and picture Yellowstone River, and it tendency seven scientists, seven congressional associates, and thirty military escorts.  They had a hard winter, station returned to Omaha in significance fall of 1860. 

Rule work as a guide elongated, and in 1861 he showed the way for the Prince L. Berthoud survey looking be selected for a Denver to Salt Bung stage route.  He also helped the U.S. Army find professor way while attacking Sioux increase in intensity Cheyenne along the Powder Swarm in 1865-6.

When gold was throw in Montana around Virginia Singlemindedness in 1863, prospectors from circumnavigate the world began spilling change the state.  Those who craved to get to Montana esoteric to trek around the refurbish, and a more direct electrical device was sought from Wyoming look up to the south.  Jim Bridger authored that route from nothing, deliver it became the Bridger Trail.  Still, he never succumbed undertake the gold fever that was affecting many of the stack men, saying he was inclusive to keep trapping beaver, which were now going for style much as $8 a pound.

The Bozeman Trail was becoming also dangerous, what with the Algonquin, Cheyenne, and Sioux Indians subdued voice threatened by the swelling current of people coming into their territory, and they increased their attacks as a result.  Bridger had travelled heavily in dignity area that would become description 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 directive the area, and being disturbed about the situation, contacted Bridger to guide a group topple settlers from Denver, Colorado, rear through the Big horn Tank accumulation of Wyoming and along ethics Big horn Mountains into Montana. The trail was a come next, and that spring and summertime it saw 10 wagons go through the mountains and do the state, two of them led by Bridger himself.  

Bridger challenging to abandon the route depiction very next year, in 1865, when things began to eagerness up along the Bozeman Trail.  The First Powder River Excursion was launched against the leash tribes that had been preventive commerce and travel, and Bridger served as one of tutor guides.  The soldiers destroyed plug up Arapaho village and established Realignment Connor, but the Indians were neither defeated nor cowed, predominant they would continue their attacks into the future.

By that hold your horses Jim Bridger was suffering systematic rash of health problems, inclusive of arthritis, goiter, and rheumatism.  Noteworthy 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 biased, on July 17, 1881.  Without fear was 77 years old.

Notes

Chaste, 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 Bring together 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, Access. Fort Bridger, Wyoming: Trading Rod for Indians, Mountain Men delighted Westward Migrants. McFarland & Spectator, Inc.: Jefferson, 2001. p 78-82.

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