| Expansion of the American West |
| Please visit my other pages: |
![[History]](http://us.yimg.com/i/ligans/cb/smtdih.gif) |
| The Mountain Men & Fur Trade Period |
| Benjamin Bonneville: A noted explorer, fur trapper and trader educated at West Point. Jim Bridger: A fur trapper, trader and army scout. Bridger owned and operated Fort Bridger (Wyoming). Christopher (Kit) Carson: An accomplished army scout, trapper, trader and buffalo hunter. John Colter: An explorer, farmer, trapper, trader and scout for the Army. He served with the Lewis and Clark Expedition and explored the Yellowstone region. . Jedidiah Smith: A famous explorer in the American West, fur trapper and trader. He was involved with William Ashley's Rocky Mountain Fur Company in 1822. William Sublette: A partner in the Rocky Mountain Fur Company, Sublette was a noted explorer, trapper and trader. William Sherley Williams: An experienced fur trapper know as 'Old Bill' or 'Old Solitaire' among his peers. |
 |
| Jedidiah Smith |
 |
| Jim Bridger |
 |
| Encampment, Bridge of the Gods, Oregon. Photo: (c) John Martinson, 1989. |
 |
American Fur Company. John Jacob Astor formed the first American Fur Trade expedition Rocky Mountain Fur Company When South Pass was discovered, it provided a path through the Rocky Mountains accessiable by wagons. Soon wagaons began to rumble over the pass and Spirit of Manifest Destiny swept the Nation. Truely, other than Lewis and Clark exploration, South Past was another key in opening up the American West. |
 |
 |
 |
| Western Expansion Links: Trail of Hope - The Mormon Trail (PBS) Mormon Pioneers Mormon Trail National Trail System Westward Expansion Eastern Fur Period Mountain Men (Drudy site) Academic Info Western Movement Museum of the Mountain Men (Pinedale, Wyoming) Traders and Indian Fur Trappers Museum of the Fur Trade (Chadron, Nebraska) Cowboy & Indians Magazine * |
| More to Come |
 |