THE MOUNTAIN MEN
The legends and feats of the mountain men have
persisted largely because there was a lot of truth to the
tales that were told. The life of the mountain man was
rough, and one that brought him face to face with death
on a regular basis. Sometimes through the slow agony
of starvation, dehydration, burning heat, or freezing
cold and sometimes by the surprise attack of animal or
Indian.
In November the streams froze, and the trapper, like his
respected nemesis the grizzly bear, went into
hibernation. Trapping continued only if the fall had
been remarkably poor, or if they were in need of food.
Life in the winter camp could be easy or difficult,
depending on the weather and availability of food. The
greatest enemy was quite often boredom. As at
rendezvous, the motley group would have physical
contests, play cards, checkers and dominos, tell stories,
sing songs and read. Many trappers exchanged well
worn books and still others learned to read during the
long wait for spring, when they could go out and trap
once again.
The mountain man's life was ruled not by the calendar
or the clock but by the climate and seasons. In fall and
spring, the men would trap. The start of the season and
its length were dictated by the weather. The spring hunt
was usually the most profitable, with the pelts still
having their winter thickness.
Once the beaver were trapped, they were skinned
immediately, allowed to dry, and then folded in half,
fur to the inside. Beaver pelts, unlike buffalo robes, were
compact, light and very portable. This was essential, as
the pelts had to be hauled to rendezvous for trade. It is
estimated that 1,000 trappers roamed the American
West in this manner from 1820 to 1830, the heyday of
the Rocky Mountain fur trade.
Spring season would last until the pelt quality became
low. In July, the groups of mountain men and the
company suppliers would gather at the summer
rendezvous. There, the furs were sold, supplies were
bought and company trappers were divided into parties
and delegated to various hunting grounds. They prided
themselves on their hardihood and courage, even on their
recklessness and profligacy. Each claimed to own the
best horse; to have had the wildest adventure; to have
made the most narrow escapes. The free trapper did pay
a high price for his freedom as he was at the whim of
market fluctuations and he was sometimes still at the
mercy of a company to give him credit at the end of a
bad year. Even if he might have a good season, or a good
year, he never got out of debt. It was the company
owners and suppliers back in St. Louis that reaped the
economic harvest of the fur trade.
After rendezvous, the men headed off to their fall
trapping grounds. Contrary to the common image of the
lonely trapper, the mountain men usually traveled in
brigades of 40 to 60, including camp tenders and meat
hunters. From the brigade base camps, they would fan
out to trap in parties of two or three. It was then that the
trappers were most vulnerable to Indian attack. Indians
were a constant threat to the trappers, and
confrontation was common.
These men were very rough, adventurous businessmen,
and they needed an economic framework, however loose
and transient, to support their occupation. The fur trade
and the companies that resulted from it provided the
fiscal support and stability that the mountain men
needed to crisscross the continent in search of great
adventure and little profit.
persisted largely because there was a lot of truth to the
tales that were told. The life of the mountain man was
rough, and one that brought him face to face with death
on a regular basis. Sometimes through the slow agony
of starvation, dehydration, burning heat, or freezing
cold and sometimes by the surprise attack of animal or
Indian.
In November the streams froze, and the trapper, like his
respected nemesis the grizzly bear, went into
hibernation. Trapping continued only if the fall had
been remarkably poor, or if they were in need of food.
Life in the winter camp could be easy or difficult,
depending on the weather and availability of food. The
greatest enemy was quite often boredom. As at
rendezvous, the motley group would have physical
contests, play cards, checkers and dominos, tell stories,
sing songs and read. Many trappers exchanged well
worn books and still others learned to read during the
long wait for spring, when they could go out and trap
once again.
The mountain man's life was ruled not by the calendar
or the clock but by the climate and seasons. In fall and
spring, the men would trap. The start of the season and
its length were dictated by the weather. The spring hunt
was usually the most profitable, with the pelts still
having their winter thickness.
Once the beaver were trapped, they were skinned
immediately, allowed to dry, and then folded in half,
fur to the inside. Beaver pelts, unlike buffalo robes, were
compact, light and very portable. This was essential, as
the pelts had to be hauled to rendezvous for trade. It is
estimated that 1,000 trappers roamed the American
West in this manner from 1820 to 1830, the heyday of
the Rocky Mountain fur trade.
Spring season would last until the pelt quality became
low. In July, the groups of mountain men and the
company suppliers would gather at the summer
rendezvous. There, the furs were sold, supplies were
bought and company trappers were divided into parties
and delegated to various hunting grounds. They prided
themselves on their hardihood and courage, even on their
recklessness and profligacy. Each claimed to own the
best horse; to have had the wildest adventure; to have
made the most narrow escapes. The free trapper did pay
a high price for his freedom as he was at the whim of
market fluctuations and he was sometimes still at the
mercy of a company to give him credit at the end of a
bad year. Even if he might have a good season, or a good
year, he never got out of debt. It was the company
owners and suppliers back in St. Louis that reaped the
economic harvest of the fur trade.
After rendezvous, the men headed off to their fall
trapping grounds. Contrary to the common image of the
lonely trapper, the mountain men usually traveled in
brigades of 40 to 60, including camp tenders and meat
hunters. From the brigade base camps, they would fan
out to trap in parties of two or three. It was then that the
trappers were most vulnerable to Indian attack. Indians
were a constant threat to the trappers, and
confrontation was common.
These men were very rough, adventurous businessmen,
and they needed an economic framework, however loose
and transient, to support their occupation. The fur trade
and the companies that resulted from it provided the
fiscal support and stability that the mountain men
needed to crisscross the continent in search of great
adventure and little profit.
