The mountain men were the hunters and trappers who fiercely strode the Rocky Mountains in the early to mi d-1800s. They braved the elements in search of the skins of beavers and other wild animals to sell or barter for goods. Their lifestyles could be harsh, existing as they did among animals, and spending most of their days and nights living and camping in the great unexplored wilds of the Rockies. Life outdoors presented many threats, not least among them the Native Americans who were hostile to the mountain men encroaching on the area for their own purposes. For a certain kind of pioneer, this risk and more were outweighed by the benefits of living free, without the restrictions and boundaries of "civilized" settlements.

Included in this collection are tales from great writers, including Washington Irving, Stanley Vestal, Osborne Russell, Francis Parkman Jr., and many more!

306 pages

Introduction by the Editor

1. The Trappers by W. F. Wagner
2. Journal of a Voyage to the Rocky Mountains by Francois Antoine Larocque
3. Ten Days in the Mountains with the Lewis and Clark Expedition – Journals
4. Coulter’s Run by John Bradbury
5. Bonneville in the Mountains from The Adventures of Captain Bonneville by Washington Irving
6. Stories of Jed Smith and the Ashley-Henry Men from The Splendid Wayfaring: Jedediah Smith and the Ashley-Henry Men by John G. Neihardt
7. Joe Meek: The Merry Mountain Man from The Merry Mountain Man by Stanley Vestal
8. Adventures of Zenas Leonard from Narrative of the Adventures of Zenas Leonard – Himself
9. Game and Inhabitants of the Northern Mountains from Journal of a Trapper by Osborne Russell
10. Trouble in the Family of James P. Beckworth from The Life and Adventures of James P. Beckworth – Himself
11. A Mountain Hunt by Francis Parkman Jr.
12. James “Jim” Bridger from Biographical Sketch of James Bridger by Grenville M. Dodge
13. Following the Sheep from The Life and Letters of John Muir by William Frederic Badè

Appendix

Miscellaneous Iron Tools and Weapons that Went into the West from Firearms, Traps, and Tools of the Mountain Men by Carl P. Russell