The first mountain men had the wilderness already in their hearts - the solitude, and the excitement of discovery in the wild. As a result they managed to slip into the mountain regions and set up their camps. They were soon called Beaver Men by the Native Americans because they trapped the web-footed, flat-tailed, small water creatures for their soft pelts. Then they sold or traded them for needed supplies which the wilderness could not provide - items such as firearms, lead, gunpowder (to kill game for food or animals that threatened to harm them), and iron axes and knives to help them survive the harsh elements.
These adventurous, restless souls discovered a vast new land overflowing with game, fish, foul, deer, and buffalo. The high-timbered mountains stored fortunes in precious metals: gold, silver, lead, and other rare minerals yet to be found.
Because of these rare and fearless men, France continued to maintain an empire in the Americas against the overwhelming economic force of the British military.
The Lewis and Clark expedition consisted of a party of these rough and rugged mountain men. They had no fear of anything, neither man nor beast. Most of them had mastered the skills and knowledge needed to survive the savage wilderness and face its dangers. They had seen the colors, heard the sounds, and endured the cold darkness, emptiness, loneliness, and bleakness and all of its cruel beauty. This set the mountain man apart from most other people.
Daniel Boone's time for the frontier quickly eclipsed and moved on further west. Beyond the high mountain ranges, many winding rivers and streams flowed into the seemingly empty plains country presenting a new adventure for him and all mountain men, fur traders, Indian traders, and other frontier explorers.
The Americans were looking further westward, wondering and dreaming of one huge nation that would stretch from the Atlantic Coast to the Pacific Coast - a land more rich than any man could imagine. But it was also a strange new world filled with unknown savage danger and horrible hazards.
In spite of the dreadful concerns about advancing the frontier, there was a well-trained force of explorers eager to help. Some of the mountain men had already crossed the continent to return to describe their findings. This rare group of human beings consisted of Jim Beckwourth, a mulatto who became a chief of the feared Crow Indians. Then there was Jim Bridger who knew the wild frontier like the back of his hand. There were many others of the same breed - Jedadiah Smith, Tom Fitzpatrick, and Kit Carson to name a few.
The frontier's main wealth had been in furs from its very beginning. By 1807, traders and trappers were flowing into the great Rocky Mountains. One of the first fur traders was Manuel Lisa. He was in charge of the large Missouri Fur Company. John Jacob Astor put up a trading post on the Columbus River. General William H. Ashley set up his trading post in the Rocky Mountains.
When the fur trading business faded away, many of the better-known Beaver men went on further and increased their standing in Old West history. They served as Indian scouts for the new army of the frontier, and as trailblazers, keelboat captains, and wagon train guides for the later-to-come emigrant settlers traveling west. Jim Bridger, Mike Fink, Robert Campbell, Kit Carson, Amos Chapman, and a host of other former mountain men emblazed the pages of frontier history.
Most important, the mountain men provided valuable information about previously unknown mountain ranges and passes, river crossings, and camping grounds. They described the many different Indian tribes, explaining their ways, their thinking, beliefs, languages, and habits. The mountain men told the travelers of the many dangers they would confront and the all-around skills they would need to survive their journey, the wilderness, and nature in general.
The mountain men or beaver men played a most important and enormous role in helping to open the American frontier for settlement, and they deserve the well-earned number one spot in western history. I'm sure many historians will agree with me.
Author Bob Turpin's love for the Old West shines through in his stories and articles about heroes, outlaws, lawmen, ghosts, legends, and forgotten characters of that time. Turpin is a historian, researcher, and a leading authority on the Old West. He has published six printed books and fifteen ePub/iTunes books in the past three years. Visit his website at http://www.historicalfictionbybobturpin.com/.
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