Mountain Men: History and Myths
Mountain men entered the west starting in the early 1800’s. There was an ad in the St. Louis paper calling for 100 “enterprising young men” to head to the west. If they chose to undertake this trip they would each get paid a 200 dollar yearly salary. Those who headed west to become mountain men were charged with the job of helping to explore and tame the west. They would help travelers heading to other parts so that they could arrive safely and also they would trap and kill animals for their fur which was very valuable. They also created relations with the Native Americans, ranging from trading to marriage to fighting.
Seth Kinman is the epitome of a mountain man. The man is a legend, from his rifle that was said to have a four foot long barrel that he used to shoot Edward Pakenham a British Commander. Up to his chair made from elk horn and his fiddle made out of bison skull. For being a legend he had a simple raising, his father was a millrite and innkeeper. He worked with his fater for years on his mills untill his father passed away and Seth decided to try his hand at farming. While farming he got married and decided farming wasn't for him and went west with the 49's and during the first winter he was in California he lost two of his sons and his wife. He became a mountain man while in California and after a little while went back to Illinois to pick up his grandmother and three other children.
Mountain men were never a part or focus of a major conflict. They were how ever a part of many battles and skirmishes. Mountain men were invaluble when it came to scouting and trapping. They knew the land better then anyone and were not slouches with rifles. They were used for anything from seeing what the enemies had waiting for them up to assassination. They could also help feed the friendly force with their hunting and trapping skills. Plus they were able to negotiate with indians since many mountain men knew how to communicate with the indians in their area and also had good relations with them.
Mountain men were masters of the untamed land. They went where no one else dared, going into the indian, bear, and danger riddled west. They did play a major part in endangering many species. They nearly hunted the beaver to extention and same with bison even after the Oregon trail almost wiped them out. Many mountain men were preserved in myth by what they had clamed to do. Such as one who said he had killed over 100 bears in one month Its hard to seperate what is truth and what is exageration but one thing is for sure; mountain men were a driving force in the civilization of the west.
I find the mountain men interesting because I hunt myself and these men lived off of hunting. They lived in the wild for the majority of their lives and some fell into legend. They were invaluble in the whole west from helping people on the trail up to helping during fights. Mountain men in my oppinion were the most impotant part of the west, they did it all and mastered it all.