Meet the fur-clad titans of the American frontier.
The mountain men were the trappers of the Rocky Mountain fur trade in the years following Lewis and Clark’s Expedition of 1804-1806. With their bold journeys peaking during the period of 1830-1840, they were the first white men to enter the vast wilderness reaches of the Rockies in search of beaver “plews,” as the skins were called. They feasted on abundant buffalo, elk, and other game while living the ultimate free-spirited wilderness life—and they often paid the ultimate price for their ventures under the arrows, tomahawks, and knives of those native Americans whose lands they had entered.
Tales of the Mountain Men gathers our nation’s finest mountain man writing into one riveting volume. Here you’ll find excerpts of nonfiction classics such as Bernard DeVoto’s Across the Wide Missouri, as well as selections from such acclaimed novels as A. B. Guthrie Jr.’s The Big Sky. Whether you’re an adventure junkie or a history buff, you’re going to love—and learn from—this amazing collection of long-forgotten lore.
| Introduction | xi | |
| Map | xvi | |
| Chapter 1. | "A Much More Furious and Formidable Anamal": Lewis and Clark Encounter the Grizzly Bear From The Journals of Lewis and Clark | 1 |
| Chapter 2. | "A Mountain Man, Wagh!" From Life in the Far West | 14 |
| Chapter 3. | The Winter Lodge From Across the Wide Missouri | 33 |
| Chapter 4. | Brownskins and Beaver: Trappers on the Stream From Carry the Wind | 50 |
| Chapter 5. | Wah-to-Yah: A Mountain Man Tall Tale Classic From Wah-to-Yah and the Taos Trail | 64 |
| Chapter 6. | Captured by the Blackfeet From Mountain Man | 87 |
| Chapter 7. | Bighorns and Wind River Range From The Adventures of Captain Bonneville U.S.A. in the Rocky Mountains of the Far West | 118 |
| Chapter 8. | "Buffler!" From The Big Sky | 132 |
| Chapter 9. | Narrative of a Mountain Man From Narrative of the Adventures of Zenas Leonard, Written by Himself | 143 |
| Chapter 10. | The Legend of Broken Hand From The Mountain Men | 158 |
| Chapter 11. | Across the Shining Mountains From The Long Rifle | 168 |
| Chapter 12. | Journal of a Trapper From Journal Of a Trapper | 187 |
| Chapter 13. | Trail Blazer: Captain Jedediah Strong Smith From The Mountain Men | 206 |
| Chapter 14. | Lord Grizzly: The Hugh Glass Ordeal From Lord Grizzly | 220 |
| Chapter 15. | A Fur Trader's Narrative From Forty Years a Fur Trader On the Upper Missouri: The Personal Narrative of Charles Larpenteur 1833-1872 | 233 |
| Chapter 16. | On the Oregon Trail From The Oregon Trail | 244 |
| Chapter 17. | Rendezvous and Farewell From The Big Sky | 267 |
| Glossary of Mountain Man Words and Expressions | 295 | |
| Credits | 299 |
Overview
Meet the fur-clad titans of the American frontier.
The mountain men were the trappers of the Rocky Mountain fur trade in the years following Lewis and Clark’s Expedition of 1804-1806. With their bold journeys peaking during the period of 1830-1840, they were the first white men to enter the vast wilderness reaches of the Rockies in search of beaver “plews,” as the skins were called. They feasted on abundant buffalo, elk, and other game while living the ultimate free-spirited ...