Mountain men were the principal figures of the fur trade era, one of the most interesting, dramatic, and truly significant phases of the history of the American trans-Mississippi West during the first half of the 19th century. These men were of all types—some were fugitives from law and civilization, others were the best in rugged manhood; some were heroic, some brutal, most were adventurous, and many were picturesque.
The typical trapper was a young man—strong, hardy, and adventurous. Having succumbed to the lure of the wilderness, the thin veneer of civilization soon rubbed off him. In the wilds, he had little need for money—barter supplied his simple needs and wants. Possibly short on book-learning, he could read moccasin tracks, beaver sign, and the trace of the travois.
Memorials to mountain men cover the West. Mountain peaks, passes, rivers, and lakes carry their names. Towns and counties have been christened in their honor. Their trails have become our highways—their campfire ashes, our cities.
Included in Volume 1 are the biographies of Manuel Alvarez; Abel Baker; Jean Baptiste Charbonneau; Francis A. Chardon; Henry Chatillon; James Clyman; Alexander Culbertson; Jimmy Daugherty; Job Frances Dye; Thomas Eddie; Gabriel Franchere; Mark Head; Charles Larpenteur; Joseph L. Meek; George Nidever; Hiram Scott; Isaac Slover; Pinckney W. Sublette; Solomon P. Sublette; and Charles Town.
