Jim Bridger King of the Mountain Men

I have always been fascinated by the history of the mountain men of the 1800s. They were such a hardy and adventurous group of men who would leave a normal life and head to the unknown of the rocky mountain west in search of wealth and more importantly the adventures that came with such a life. These were the type of individuals who always wanted to know what was over the next mountain. Probably the most famous respected and well-known mountain man was Jim Bridger. Bridger was born in Richmond, Virginia in March of 1804. When he was eight years old his family moved west to land along the Mississippi River near St. Louis, Missouri. Within five years of moving to Missouri his father and mother died and at the age of 13 he was an orphan. A kindly blacksmith named Phil Creamer took him in and taught him the blacksmith trade. However, he started hearing stories about the fur trade of the Rocky Mountains and when he heard about William Ashley's proposed expedition to Trap Beaver he joined at the age of 18. It is on this expedition that he gained the foundation of knowledge and experience that would serve him well throughout his life as a trapper, explorer, scout and all-around rugged mountain man. In the winter of 1823 his band of trappers wintered on the Bear River in southern Idaho. Some of the group speculated that the river ran all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Young Bridger volunteered to follow the Bear River to find out if it indeed went all the way to the ocean. He made a solo voyage and navigated the river all the way to the Great Salt Lake. He later reported that, quote, she were some salty horse, dogged if she weren't, end quote. The salty taste led him to believe that he had indeed discovered an arm of the Pacific Ocean when in reality he had become the first white man to see the Great Salt Lake. Another famous adventure attributed to Bridger occurred later when General Ashley needed to get his furs out of the mountains. He was short on horses and felt that they could save a lot of time and miles by floating the pelts down the Big Horn River. But this 20 mile section of the river was purported to be treacherous and the Indians considered it to be unnavigable. Bridger asserted that the only way to find out was to give it a try. He went about building as sturdy a log raft as he possibly could and launched on the treacherous journey again solo. Man and raft somehow survived the ordeal but Bridger reported back to General Ashley that it would be unwise to risk their beaver pelts on the river. They eventually loaded their weary horses and transported the pelts the long way around. The river trip became legendary among the mountain men of the era as well as the Indians. Who had insisted that the bad pass as they called it could not be run. In 1830 at the age of 26 Bridger and four partners bought out the Rocky Mountain Fur Company from Ashley for $16,000. Competition in the fur business was becoming intense and the best waters were getting trapped out. Bridger decided to move his trapping operation to the headwaters of the Missouri River. He knew this was the heart of Blackfoot country and the Blackfoot were the most fierce and treacherous of all the northern tribes. One day in 1832 Bridger and a group of trappers met a band of around 100 bloody Indians. A particularly vicious branch of the Blackfeet. A trapper fired a warning shot in the air and the bloods unexpectedly raised a white flag. Two representatives from the Bridger group rode out and two sub chiefs met them. They were smoking a peace pipe but Bridger's curiosity got the best of him and he rode out to see what was going on. The chief rode out and Bridger instinctively cocked the hammer on his rifle. The chief understood the sound of that metallic click and grabbed the end of the rifle. Bridger was able to fire off a shot but by this time the chief had pulled the muzzle down and the round thudded into the ground. He wrested the rifle from Jim's hands and smacked him with it. A skirmish broke out and Bridger got two arrows in his back. Both sides retreated for cover and eventually went their separate ways. Bridger's men were successful in pulling out one of the arrows but the second arrowhead was embedded in the bone and they were forced to leave it in. Three years later in 1835 at the Green River Rendezvous Jim sought out a doctor in attendance and requested that he remove the arrowhead which was still in his back. The extraction became a public viewing with both Indians and trappers gathered around to watch the doctor use a knife to remove the iron point from Bridger's back. The procedure was complicated by the fact that a calcerous growth had formed around the arrow point. The onlookers marveled at the surgeon's skill and the patient's stoicism. The operation turned out successful because Bridger soon resumed his day-to-day activities. 1835 was also the year of his first marriage. He was friendly with the Flathead Indians and he married a Flathead chief's daughter Cora. They were married 11 years until her death and had three children together. As the fur trade became less and less profitable Jim and a partner started a trading post in 1843 on a tributary of the Green River in southwest Wyoming and called it Fort Bridger. The business carried supplies to sell to travelers on wagon trains found for Oregon and California. It also had a blacksmith shop for wagon repair. For 10 years Fort Bridger was a famous landmark for westward travelers. The Mormons who were uneasy about Bridger's influence with the Indians sent an armed party to arrest him. He escaped into the mountains and eluded his potential captors but was forced to abandon Fort Bridger. By this time Bridger had already taken his second wife, a Ute Indian, but she died a year into their marriage as a result of childbirth. He took a third Indian wife, this time a Shoshone chief's daughter, and took her to a farm he had bought in Missouri. Jim Bridger, the king of the mountain men, died on his farm in Missouri in 1881 at the age of 77. There is a monument in Mount Washington Cemetery in Kansas City where he is buried that reads quote James Bridger 1804 to 1881 celebrated as a hunter trapper fur trader and guide discovered Great Salt Lake 1824 the South Pass 1827 visited Yellowstone Lake and geysers 1830. Founded Fort Bridger 1843. Opened overland route by Bridger Pass to Great Salt Lake end quote. If you enjoyed this video give a thumbs up make a comment and most importantly subscribe to the channel. As always thanks for watching.