Jim Bridger (James Felix Bridger) was among the foremost mountain men, trappers, scouts and guides who explored and trapped in the Western United States during the decades of 1820-1850. He also helped mediate between native tribes and encroaching white settlers. What is now known as Fort Bridger State Historic Site in Fort Bridger, Wyoming was … Continue reading Jim Bridger →

The Rocky Mountain Fur Company, originally known as Ashley’s Hundred, was organized in St. Louis, Missouri in 1822 by William Henry Ashley and Andrew Henry. Among the original employees were Kit Carson, Jim Bridger and Jedediah Smith. Learn more about the history of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company and the part it played in Wyoming … Continue reading Rocky Mountain Fur Company →

William Henry Ashley (1778-1838) was a United States congressman and fur trader who revolutionized the fur trade and hastened exploration of the American West when he introduced the rendezvous system as a substitute for traditional trading posts. The Rocky Mountain Fur Company, originally known as Ashley’s Hundred, was organized in St. Louis, Missouri in 1822 … Continue reading William Ashley →

Joseph Lafayette “Joe” Meek (1810 – 1875) was a trapper, law enforcement official and politician in Oregon Country (later Oregon Territory) of the United States. A pioneer involved in the fur trade before settling in the Tualatin Valley, Meek played a prominent role at the Champoeg Meetings of 1843 when he was elected as a sheriff. … Continue reading Joseph Meek →

Benjamin Louis Eulalie de Bonneville (1796 – 1878) was a French-born officer in the United States Army, as well as a fur trapper and explorer in the American West. He is noted for his expedition to the Oregon Country and the Great Basin, and in particular for trailblazing portions of the Oregon Trail. Bonneville became … Continue reading Benjamin Bonneville →

Robert Campbell (1804 – 1879) was an Irish immigrant who became an American frontiersman, fur trader and businessman.  Campbell was unique in terms of his successful career in the American West, which included  his involvement in the successful Rocky Mountain Fur Company, as well as his long formal partnership with trapper William Sublette in the 1820s. … Continue reading Robert Campbell →

Thomas Fitzpatrick (1799-1854) was a trapper and trailblazer who became the head of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. Among the most colorful and highly regarded of the mountain men of that era, Fitzpatrick was party to many of the most important events of western exploration. Fitzpatrick is credited with leading a trapper band (along with Jedediah … Continue reading Thomas Fitzpatrick →

Jedediah Strong Smith was a hunter, trapper, fur trader, trailblazer, author, cartographer and explorer of the Rocky Mountains, North American West and Southwest during the early 19th century. Smith’s explorations led to the use of the 20-mile wide South Pass as a dominant point for crossing the Continental Divide for pioneers on the Oregon Trail. Throughout … Continue reading Jedediah Smith →

The Shoshone were a nomadic Native American tribe who traveled over a wide portion of the Western United States, including parts of Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah,  the Great Basin to the Plains, and other parts of Colorado and Wyoming. Learn more about the Shoshone in Wyoming. Resources

Pierre’s Hole is a shallow valley in Idaho west of Wyoming’s Teton Range that collects the headwaters of the Teton River. It was a strategic center for the fur trade of the northern Rocky Mountains and the site of the 1832 Fur Trade Rendezvous. Learn more about the history of Pierre’s Hole.  Resources