What It Was Really Like Being A Mountain Man In The 1800s

May 2024 ยท 2 minute read

In the early years of the fur trade, says Rocky Mountain National Rendezvous, trappers and mountain men spent part of the year transporting their furs all the way back to St. Louis, Missouri to sell their harvest and buy needed supplies for the next trapping season. Beginning in 1825, however the men found it easier, and often more profitable, to stage an annual gathering in the West. The majority of these rendezvous occurred in Wyoming, says Wyoming History, with the first event taking place at Henry's Fort (aka Fort Henry). Traders from Missouri, says Legends of America, could haul supplies over to the rendezvous instead and trade with everyone at once.

History Colorado confirms that furs and pelts quickly expanded to include deer, muskrat, otter, raccoon, and wolf hides, as well as bison. But beaver pelts, says White Oak Historical Society, remained the most popular. Equally important was the social aspect of the annual rendezvous, where the men could blow off some steam after spending so much time alone, says X Roads. Some of those in attendance later wrote that participants drank themselves silly, swapped stories, sang and danced, gambled, raced horses, practiced target shooting and more while bargaining for needed supplies. Naturally they also traded with Native Americans, says Gentle Dove History, sometimes taking Native women as wives.

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