The mountain men who roamed the Rocky Mountain wilderness between the years 1800 and 1860 experienced many different relationships with the Indians upon whose lands they trapped and traded. Where some had their horses stolen and some found themselves victims of rival violence, for the most part, the relationship between the mountain man and the Crow Tribe was both symbiotic, generous, and equally profitable. From their stories, it becomes apparent to an outside observer that the Crow were taken by the circumstances of their time and fraught with both violence and the greed of others, their only hope being that of the self-respecting mountain man who would trap within their lands without dangerous compromise and ignorance. Where some men treated them with dignity and respect, others like Rufus Sage sought only to destroy them based upon a perpetuating stereotype. In the end, the Crow Tribe found themselves decimated, trapped in the Rocky Mountain wilderness with only the hopes that the next mountain man would be as kind and respectful of their lands and ways as those genuine few, like John Colter and William Ashley, who came only to peacefully trap and trade.
PERSPECTIVES OF THE MOUNTAIN MEN: ADVENTURES WITH THE CROW TRIBE FROM 1800-1860 is the story of these men, their journey and experiences with the Crow Tribe, and an analysis of how they survived in the deep wilderness.
Excerpt:
He was called the first of the mountain men—John Colter (b. 1775-d. 1813), whose humble voice was ravaged to the point of gruffness by a hard and difficult life, believed the term meant nothing then, considering himself a simple man making his way on the open frontier, serving as a guide to others who had no clue as to mountain survival. Settling down into his hand-carved wooden rocking chair and indicating with a wave of his hand his buckskin attire, Colter inadvertently made his past come to life, having bartered with a young Crow girl for a handful of beads and knickknacks for the clothing and earning himself a reputation and an embarrassing story along the way. Like many of the mountain men that followed, Colter spent a time of great significance with the Crow Tribe and discovered the difficulties and joys in working as a fur trader and trapper side by side with the Indians.
Colter leaned forward in his chair, both his buckskin and the wood creaking ominously. He causally lit a cigar and motioned with his empty hand. The buckskin suit, of course, being the cause of one of his most embarrassing encounters—and it’s one of the stories that continues to find its way into the history books, even today. His lips turned into a tight smile as he recounted the story that began in 1804 when he was commissioned to join Lewis and Clark on their adventures westward.
Having established himself as a remarkable tracker and guide, Colter left the Lewis and Clark expedition on its return trip in 1807 to assist the Manuel Lisa expedition in its plans to tap the fur resources within the lush Rocky Mountains. Having seen the abundance while Lewis and Clark made their annotations and detailed maps, Colter was easily persuaded to join. Lisa, in all things, proved to be a resourceful man, making note of the fact that the Crow Tribe had begun to show empathy towards American trappers, especially those who could assist in the tribal wars between the Crow, the Blackfoot, and the Sioux, and thus Colter was sent to deliver a message of good-tidings in hopes of establishing a friendship between the Crow and the trappers.
Colter’s stint with the Crow Tribe was between the years 1807-1808; however, his personal accounts were unfortunately lost to the ravages of time and remained purely within the realm of exaggerated legend. His embarrassing buckskin story, relegated among the top in all Colter biographies, was tied to his first official task for the Lisa expedition: delivering a message to the Crow and any other peaceable tribes he might encou
PERSPECTIVES OF THE MOUNTAIN MEN: ADVENTURES WITH THE CROW TRIBE FROM 1800-1860 is the story of these men, their journey and experiences with the Crow Tribe, and an analysis of how they survived in the deep wilderness.
Excerpt:
He was called the first of the mountain men—John Colter (b. 1775-d. 1813), whose humble voice was ravaged to the point of gruffness by a hard and difficult life, believed the term meant nothing then, considering himself a simple man making his way on the open frontier, serving as a guide to others who had no clue as to mountain survival. Settling down into his hand-carved wooden rocking chair and indicating with a wave of his hand his buckskin attire, Colter inadvertently made his past come to life, having bartered with a young Crow girl for a handful of beads and knickknacks for the clothing and earning himself a reputation and an embarrassing story along the way. Like many of the mountain men that followed, Colter spent a time of great significance with the Crow Tribe and discovered the difficulties and joys in working as a fur trader and trapper side by side with the Indians.
Colter leaned forward in his chair, both his buckskin and the wood creaking ominously. He causally lit a cigar and motioned with his empty hand. The buckskin suit, of course, being the cause of one of his most embarrassing encounters—and it’s one of the stories that continues to find its way into the history books, even today. His lips turned into a tight smile as he recounted the story that began in 1804 when he was commissioned to join Lewis and Clark on their adventures westward.
Having established himself as a remarkable tracker and guide, Colter left the Lewis and Clark expedition on its return trip in 1807 to assist the Manuel Lisa expedition in its plans to tap the fur resources within the lush Rocky Mountains. Having seen the abundance while Lewis and Clark made their annotations and detailed maps, Colter was easily persuaded to join. Lisa, in all things, proved to be a resourceful man, making note of the fact that the Crow Tribe had begun to show empathy towards American trappers, especially those who could assist in the tribal wars between the Crow, the Blackfoot, and the Sioux, and thus Colter was sent to deliver a message of good-tidings in hopes of establishing a friendship between the Crow and the trappers.
Colter’s stint with the Crow Tribe was between the years 1807-1808; however, his personal accounts were unfortunately lost to the ravages of time and remained purely within the realm of exaggerated legend. His embarrassing buckskin story, relegated among the top in all Colter biographies, was tied to his first official task for the Lisa expedition: delivering a message to the Crow and any other peaceable tribes he might encou
