Jim Bridger | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Bridger,c. 1876 | |
| Born | James Felix Bridger (1804-03-17)March 17, 1804 Richmond, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | July 17, 1881(1881-07-17) (aged 77) Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Other names | Casapy (Blanket Chief - from the Crow Tribe), Gabe |
| Occupations | Frontiersman, explorer, hunter, trapper, scout, guide |
| Employer(s) | Rocky Mountain Fur Company,U.S. Government |
| Known for | Famousmountain man of the American fur trade era |
| Spouse(s) | ThreeNative American wives: oneFlathead and twoShoshone |
| Children | 5 |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| Service years | 1859–1868 |
| Rank | Scout |
| Unit | |
| Conflicts | Utah WarRed Cloud's War |
James Felix Bridger (March 17, 1804 – July 17, 1881) was an Americanmountain man,trapper, Army scout, and wilderness guide who explored and trapped in theWestern United States in the first half of the 19th century. He was known as Old Gabe in his later years.[1][2] He was from theBridger family of Virginia, English settlers who had arrived in North America in the earlycolonial period.[3]
Bridger was of the second generation of American mountain men and pathfinders who followed theLewis and Clark Expedition of 1804–1806. He participated in early expeditions into the west and mediated betweenNative American tribes and westward-migratingEuropean-American settlers. By the end of his life, he had become the foremost explorer and frontiersmen in theAmerican Old West. He had conversational knowledge of French, Spanish, and severalindigenous languages; his photographic memory allowed him to map most of theRocky Mountains from memory.
He was described as "at least six feet tall, straight as an Indian, muscular and quick in movement, but not nervous or excitable; in weight probably 160 pounds; with an eye piercing as the eye of an eagle that seemed to flash fire when narrating an experience."[4] His strong constitution allowed him to survive the extreme conditions in theRocky Mountains from theCanadian border to what would become southernColorado.
James Felix Bridger was born on March 17, 1804, inRichmond, Virginia.[5] His parents were James Bridger, an innkeeper in Richmond, and his wife, Chloe.[5] About 1812, the family moved nearSt. Louis.[5] At age 13, Bridger was orphaned; he had no formal education, was unable to read or write, and was apprenticed to a blacksmith.[5] Despite eventually speaking at least seven languages, he remained illiterate.[5] On March 20, 1822, at age 18, he left his apprenticeship, responding to an advertisement in St. Louis newspaper theMissouri Republican, and joined GeneralWilliam Henry Ashley's fur trapping expedition to the upperMissouri River. The party includedJedediah Smith and many others who later became known asmountain men.[5]
In 1830, Bridger and several associates purchased a fur company from Smith and others, which they named theRocky Mountain Fur Company.[6][7] After dissolving that partnership, Bridger explored the continental interior between the Canada–U.S. border and the southern boundary of Colorado, and from the Missouri River westward toIdaho andUtah, either as a guide or a partner in thefur trade.[5]
The 19-year-old Bridger was employed by William Henry Ashley in 1823 at the time of the famous bear attack and subsequent abandonment ofHugh Glass, another frontiersman.[8] The event has inspired two feature-length films,Man in the Wilderness (1971) andThe Revenant (2016). While scouting for game, Glass was badly mauled by a grizzly bear near the forks of theGrand River in present-dayShadehill, South Dakota. There is debate about whether Bridger was present with the party that Glass was a part of. John Fitzgerald and a man described as "Bridges" stayed, waiting for Glass to die, as the rest of the party moved on. They began digging Glass's grave. Claiming they were interrupted by anArikara attack, the pair grabbed Glass's rifle, knife, and other equipment and took flight. Bridges and Fitzgerald later caught up with the party and reported to Ashley that Glass had died, even though he had not, and miraculously survived.[8] No direct witness ties Bridger to the incident, and when asked by a historian later in his life, he denied involvement.[citation needed]
Bridger was among the first non-indigenous people to explore theYellowstone region. In the fall of 1824, Bridger was the first person of European descent to explore theGreat Salt Lake region, reaching it bybull boat.[9][10] He was the first recorded non-indigenous person to explore Yellowstone's springs and geysers. He shared that a creek south of Yellowstone Lake formed aParting of the Waters, with one side going to the Pacific Ocean and the other side to the Atlantic Ocean. Bridger took a raft on the rapids at theBig Horn River; he was the only man known to have done this and lived.[2]
In 1843, Bridger andLouis Vasquez establishedFort Bridger on theBlacks Fork of theGreen River along theOregon Trail, in what is nowWyoming.[11]
Bridger had explored, trapped, hunted, and blazed new trails in the West since 1822 and later worked as a wilderness guide. He could reportedly assess any wagon train or group, their interests in travel, and give them expert advice on heading West.
In 1846, theDonner Party came toFort Bridger and were assured by Bridger and Vasquez thatLansford Hastings' proposedshortcut ahead was "a fine, level road, with plenty of water and grass, with the exception before stated (a forty-mile waterless stretch)". The 40-mile stretch was in fact 80 miles, and the "fine level road" slowed the Donner Party, which became trapped and suffered severe casualties in theSierra Nevada.[12]
From 16 July 1857 until July 1858, Bridger was employed as a guide during theUtah War. In 1859, Bridger was the chief guide on the Yellowstone-boundRaynolds Expedition, led by CaptainWilliam F. Raynolds.[13] Though deep snow prevented them from reaching Yellowstone, the expedition exploredJackson Hole andPierre's Hole. In 1861, Bridger was a guide forEdward L. Berthoud. From October 1863 until April 1864, Bridger was employed as a guide atFort Laramie.[14]
Bridger served as a scout under ColonelHenry B. Carrington duringRed Cloud's War. Bridger was stationed atFort Phil Kearny during theFetterman Fight, and theWagon Box Fight. Bridger was discharged on 21 July 1868.[15]
Suffering fromgoiter andrheumatism, Bridger returned to Missouri in 1868. He was unsuccessful in collecting back rent from the government for the lease on Fort Bridger. By 1875, he was blind.[16]
In 1850, while guiding theStansbury Expedition on its return from Utah, Bridger discovered what became known asBridger Pass, an alternate overland route that bypassedSouth Pass and shortened theOregon Trail by 61 miles. Bridger Pass, in what became south-centralWyoming, later became the chosen route across theContinental Divide, for theOverland Stage,Pony Express, theUnion Pacific RailroadOverland Route, andInterstate 80.[17][18]
In 1864, Bridger blazed theBridger Trail, an alternative route from Wyoming to the gold fields ofMontana that avoided the dangerousBozeman Trail. In 1865, he served as Chief of Scouts during thePowder River Expedition.[19]
In 1835, Bridger married a woman from theFlathead tribe, whom he named "Emma"[20][clarification needed] and with whom he had three children. After she died in 1846 from fever,[21] he married the daughter of aShoshone chief, who died in childbirth three years later. In 1850, he married Shoshone ChiefWashakie's daughter, Mary Washakie Bridger,[22] with whom he raised two children. Some of his children went back east to be educated. His firstborn, Mary Ann, was captured by a band ofCayuse during theWhitman Massacre and died soon after she was released. His son Felix, who fought with the Missouri Artillery, died of sickness on Bridger's farm. His daughter Josephine, who marriedJim Baker, also died, leaving his daughter Virginia as his only surviving child.[23] In 1867, while in his early sixties, his eyesight began failing to the point where "he could not shoot very good."[24] By the early 1870s, he was living under Virginia's care and could no longer recognize people unless they spoke. Jim Bridger wasblind by 1875.[25]
Bridger died on his farm nearKansas City, Missouri, on July 17, 1881, at age 77.[26]
Bridger is remembered as one of the most colorful and widely traveled mountain men. In addition to his explorations and his service as a guide and adviser, he was known for his storytelling. His stories about the geysers at Yellowstone, for example, proved to be accurate. Others were exaggerated and clearly intended to amuse: one of Bridger's stories involved apetrified forest in which there were "petrified birds" singing "petrified songs" (though he may have seen the petrified trees in the Tower Junction area of what is nowYellowstone National Park). Over the years, Bridger became so associated withtall tales that many stories invented by others were attributed to him. Supposedly one of Bridger's favorite yarns to weave togreenhorns told of his pursuit by one hundredCheyenne warriors. After he was chased for several miles, Bridger found himself at the end of abox canyon, with the Indians bearing down on him. At this point, Bridger fell silent, prompting his listener to ask, "What happened then, Mr. Bridger?" Bridger would then reply, "They killed me."
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