Jim Bridger

Jim Bridger
Bridger c. 1876
Born
James Felix Bridger

(1804-03-17)March 17, 1804
DiedJuly 17, 1881(1881-07-17) (aged 77)
Occupation(s)Frontiersman, explorer, hunter, trapper, scout, guide
Employer(s)Rocky Mountain Fur Company, U.S. Government
Known forFamous mountain man of the American fur trade era
Spouse(s)Three Native American wives: one Flathead and two Shoshone
Children5
Military career
Allegiance United States
Service/branch United States Army
Years of service1859–1860
RankScout
Unit
Commands heldRifleman
Battles/warsRaynolds Expedition

James Felix Bridger (March 17, 1804 – July 17, 1881) was an American mountain man, trapper, Army scout, and wilderness guide who explored and trapped in the Western United States in the first half of the 19th century. He was known as Old Gabe in his later years.[1] He was from the Bridger family of Virginia, English immigrants who had been in North America since the early colonial period.[2]

Bridger was part of the second generation of American mountain men and pathfinders who followed the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804–1806, and became well known for participating in numerous early expeditions into the western interior as well as mediating between Native American tribes and westward-migrating European-American settlers. By the end of his life, he had earned a reputation as one of the foremost frontiersmen in the American Old West. He was described as having a strong constitution that allowed him to survive the extreme conditions he encountered while exploring the Rocky Mountains from what would become southern Colorado to the Canadian border. He had conversational knowledge of French, Spanish, and several indigenous languages.

In 1830, Bridger and several associates purchased a fur company from Jedediah Smith and others, which they named the Rocky Mountain Fur Company.[3][4]

  1. ^ Gard, Wayne (1963). "Rugged Mountain Man". Southwest Review. 48 (3): 305. JSTOR 43471161.
  2. ^ Fischer, David Hackett (1989). Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 633–639. ISBN 978-0-19-506905-1.
  3. ^ Caesar, Gene (1961). "King of the Mountain Men". E.P. Dutton Co. pp. 22, 81–82, 103. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  4. ^ Vestal, Stanley (1970). Jim Bridger; Mountain Man. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. pp. 8, 13, 40, 68, 86, 103. ISBN 978-0803257207.

© MMXXIII Rich X Search. We shall prevail. All rights reserved. Rich X Search