History

• The Mountain Men were trappers and explorers who roamed the Rocky Mountains from 1810 to the early 1840s. Their main motivation was profit from trapping beaver and selling the skins. Some of them were also interested in exploring the western United States.
  
  Although the image most people have of a Mountain Man is one of solitude, Mountain Men typically gathered in groups of 40 to 60 men. They would rendezvous in the springtime along the Green River, near what is now Pinedale, Wyoming.
  
  As beaver fur became less fashionable, Mountain Men found other jobs. With the opening of the Oregon Trail and the use of the Mormon Trail, many Mountain Men took on employment as hunters and guides.
  
  Some notable Mountain Men were the famous explorers Jedediah Smith and Jim Bridger, along with Lewis & Clark expedition member John Colter.
  
  

Activities

• The main source of activity for Mountain Men was hunting and trapping beaver for fur. This was their livelihood, and as such it dictated many of the other activities of the Mountain Man's life.
  
  In the summertime, Mountain Men would search out the best spots to trap beaver. They would not set their traps until early in the fall. Most of the hunting and trapping occurred in the fall and spring months. Depending on how the fall went, winters were either very easy or very difficult.
  
  Autumn was the time of most hunting activity. This is when the Mountain Men became almost like a military unit. Some would hunt while others took care of the campsite. A group would also be responsible of protecting the Mountain Men from unfriendly visitors, such as hostile Native Americans and grizzly bears.
  
  Around November, the streams would begin to freeze. Trapping would only continue if the fall had been poor or the food supply was low. Otherwise, November marked the beginning of winter and the onset of boredom. This was often the only leisure time the Mountain Men got. They played cards, checkers and dominoes, told stories, sang songs and read books.
  
  As the weather began to warm in early spring, the Mountain Men began the activity of searching out beaver once again. Unlike the summer months, however, springtime was not only for scouting but hunting as well. The hunts would provide food for the more important scouting and hunting expeditions of the summer and fall seasons.
  
  

Free Trapers

• Although not nearly as common as the Mountain Men, who hunted and set traps in large groups, free trappers existed during the same period. A free trapper was an independent Mountain Man, perhaps more of the stereotypical version that we think of today. A free trapper did primarily the same hunting and trapping activities of his counterparts, but he answered to only himself and was responsible for his own well-being, so most of his activities throughout the year were geared mainly towards survival.