Jim Bridger

Jim Bridger (right) is honored along with Pony Express founder Alexander Majors (left) and Kansas City founder John Calvin McCoy at Pioneer Square in Westport in Kansas City.

Jim or James Bridger (March, 1804 – July 17, 1881) was among the foremost mountain men, trappers, scouts and guides who explored and trapped the Western United States during the decades of 1820-1840. He was also well known as a teller of tall tales. This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2337x2001, 722 KB) Summary Kansas City memorial in Pioneer Square at Westport Road and Broadway. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2337x2001, 722 KB) Summary Kansas City memorial in Pioneer Square at Westport Road and Broadway. ... Pony Express statue in St. ... Alexander Majors (1814 - 1900) was a U.S. businessman, often credited along with William Hepburn Russell and William B. Waddel as the founders, owners, and operators of the Pony Express. ... John Calving McCoy (center) is honored along with Alexander Majors (left) and Mountainman James Bridger at Pioneer Square in Westport in Kansas City. ... 1804 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... July 17 is the 198th day (199th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 167 days remaining. ... Year 1881 (MDCCCLXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... Liver-Eating Johnson Mountain men were trappers and explorers that roamed the Rocky Mountains from about 1810 to the early 1840s. ... A tall tale is a story that claims to explain the reason for some natural phenomenon, or sometimes illustrates how skilled/intelligent/powerful the subject of the tale was. ...

Bridger had an extraordinarily strong constitution that allowed him to survive the extreme conditions he encountered walking the Rocky Mountains from what would become southern Colorado to the Canadian border. He had conversational knowledge of French, Spanish and several native languages. He would come to know many of the major figures of the early west, including Brigham Young, Kit Carson, John Fremont, Joseph Meek, and John Sutter. Rockies may also refer to the National League Baseball team, the Colorado Rockies. ... Official language(s) English Capital Denver Largest city Denver Area  Ranked 8th  - Total 104,185 sq mi (269,837 km²)  - Width 280 miles (451 km)  - Length 380 miles (612 km)  - % water 0. ... See also, Brigham Young University Brigham Young (June 1, 1801 – August 29, 1877) was the second prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ... Kit Carson Kit Carson (December 24, 1809 – May 23, 1868), born Christopher Houston Carson, was an American frontiersman. ... John C. Frémont John Charles Frémont (January 21, 1813-July 13, 1890), birth name John Charles Fremon [Harvey, p. ... Joseph Lafayette Meek (1810–1875) was born in Washington County, Virginia, near the Cumberland Gap. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ...

Bridger began his colorful career in 1822 at the age of 17, as a member of General William Ashley's Upper Missouri Expedition. He was among the first non-natives to see the geysers and other natural wonders of the Yellowstone region. In the winter of 1824-1825, Bridger gained fame as the first white man to see the Great Salt Lake (though some now dispute that status), which he reached traveling in a bull boat. Due to its salinity, he believed it to be an arm of the Pacific Ocean. 1822 (MDCCCXXII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Ashleys Hundred refers to the men who responded to the flyer, To Enterprising Young Men: The Subscriber wishes to engage One Hundred men to ascend the River Missouri to its source to be employed for one, two, or three years . ... Yellowstone National Park is a U.S. National Park located in the states of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. ... Great Salt Lake, located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Utah, is the largest salt lake in the Western Hemisphere,[1] the fourth largest terminal lake in the world,[2] and the 33rd largest lake on Earth. ... Mandan Bull Boats. ...

In 1830, Bridger and several other trappers bought out Ashley and established the Rocky Mountain Fur Company, competing with the Hudson Bay Company and John Jacob Astor's American Fur Company for the lucrative beaver pelt trade. In 1838, Bridger and Louis Vasquez built a trading post, later named Fort Bridger, on the west bank of the Green River to serve pioneers on the Oregon Trail. The Rocky Mountain Fur Company was organized in St. ... The Hudsons Bay Company building in Montreal The Hudsons Bay Company (HBC) is the oldest corporation in Canada and is one of the oldest in the world still in existence. ... John Jacob Astor, detail of an oil painting by Gilbert Stuart, 1794 John Jacob (originally Johann Jakob) Astor (July 17, 1763 - March 29, 1848) was the first of the Astor family dynasty and the first millionaire in the United States, making his fortune in the fur trade and real estate... The American Fur Company was founded by John Jacob Astor in 1808. ... Species C. canadensis C. fiber Beavers are semi-aquatic rodents native to North America and Europe. ... Pierre Louis Vasquez (October 3, 1798 – September 5, 1868) was a mountain man and trader. ... Fort Bridger Fort Bridger was a 19th century fur trading outpost established in 1842 near present-day Evanston, Wyoming in the western United States. ... The Green River, a tributary of the Colorado, is shown highlighted on a map of the western United States. ... The Ox Team or the Old Oregon Trail 1852-1906 by Ezra Meeker. ...

In 1835 he married a woman from the Flathead Indians tribe with whom he had three children. After her death in 1846, he married the daughter of a Shoshone chief, who died in childbirth three years later. In 1850 he married a Shoshone with whom he had two more children. Some of his children were sent back east to be educated. Kootenai group near tipis (ca 1900) The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation are the Bitterroot Salish, Kootenai and Pend dOreilles Tribes. ... Shoshone around their tipi, probably taken around 1890 Shoshone Indians at Ft. ...

In 1850, looking for an alternate overland route to the South Pass, he found what would eventually be known as Bridger's Pass, which shortened the Oregon Trail by 61 miles. Bridger Pass would later be the chosen route for both the Union Pacific Railroad and later Interstate 80. South Pass (elevation 7550 ft) is a mountain pass on the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Wyoming. ... The Union Pacific Railroad (AAR reporting marks UP) (NYSE: UNP) is the largest railroad network in the United States. ... Interstate 80 (abbreviated I-80) is the second-longest Interstate Highway in the United States. ...

He served as guide and army scout during the first Powder River Expedition against the Sioux and Cheyenne blocking the Bozeman Trail (Red Cloud's War). In 1865 he was discharged at Fort Laramie. Suffering from goiter, arthritis, rheumatism and other health problems, he returned to Westport, Missouri in 1868. He was unsuccessful in collecting back rent from the government for its use of Fort Bridger. He died in Washington, Missouri on July 17,1881. Powder River Expedition refers to two expeditions against the Indians of Wyoming and Montana. ... Wahktageli (Gallant Warrior), a Yankton Sioux chief (Karl Bodmer) Funeral scaffold of a Sioux chief (Karl Bodmer) Horse racing of the Sioux Indians (Karl Bodmer) The Sioux (IPA ) are a Native American people. ... Cheyenne lodges with buffalo meat drying, 1870 For other uses, see Cheyenne (disambiguation). ... The Bozeman Trail was an overland route connecting the Oregon Trail to the gold rush territory of Montana. ... The Powder River Country, northeast of the Bighorn Mountains and south of the Yellowstone River, is shown in red in the western United States Red Clouds war (also referred to as the Bozeman War) was an armed conflict between the Sioux and the United States in the Wyoming Territory... 1865 (MDCCCLXV) is a common year starting on Sunday. ... Grounds of Fort Laramie Fort Laramie, located in present-day Goshen County, Wyoming in the United States, was a significant 19th century trading post and later a military outpost of the United States Army. ... Kansas City Pioneer Square monument in Westport features Pony Express founder Alexander Majors, Westport/Kansas City founder John Calvin McCoy and Mountainman Jim Bridger who owned Chouteaus Store next to Kellys Kellys at 500 Westport Road or neighboring Chouteaus Store at 504 Westport are considered to... Washington is a city in Franklin County, Missouri, USA. The population was 13,243 at the 2000 census. ... Year 1881 (MDCCCLXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ...

Bridger was well known during his life and afterwards as a teller of tall tales. Some of Bridger's stories -- about the geysers at Yellowstone, for example -- proved to be true. Others were clearly intended to amuse. Thus, one of Bridger's stories involved a "peetrified forest" in which there were "peetrified birds" singing "peetrified songs" (though he may have seen the petrified trees in the Tower Junction area of what is now Yellowstone National Park). Over the years, Bridger became so associated with the tall-tale form that many stories invented by others were attributed to him. Yellowstone National Park is a U.S. National Park located in the western states of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. ...

Supposedly one of Bridger's favorite yarns to tell to greenhorns was about being pursued by one hundred Cheyenne warriors. After being chased for several miles, Bridger found himself at the end of a box canyon, with the Indians bearing down on him. At this point, Bridger would go silent, prompting his listener to ask, "What happened then, Mr. Bridger?" Bridger would reply, "They kilt me." Cheyenne lodges with buffalo meat drying, 1870 For other uses, see Cheyenne (disambiguation). ...

County Singer Johnny Horton made a record titled Jim Bridger.

Places named for Jim Bridger

• Fort Bridger
• Fort Bridger, Wyoming
• Bridger, Montana
• Bridger Mountains (Wyoming)
• Bridger Mountains (Montana)
• Bridger Wilderness
• Bridger Bowl Ski Area
• Bridger-Teton National Forest
• Bridger Pass (also known as Bridger's Pass)
• Jim Bridger Power Station, subbituminous Coal Power Plant in Wyoming