One historian even labeled him a walking “atlas of the West.”Ĭhristopher ‘Kit’ Carson. Health problems eventually forced “Old Gabe” Bridger to retire in the late-1860s, but by then his frontier exploits and endless supply of tall tales had established him among the greatest of the mountain men. He helped blaze Bridger’s Pass and Bridger Trail, both of which were well-traveled by pioneers and gold-seekers, and later worked as a scout for the U.S. Upon tasting its briny waters, he incorrectly concluded that it was part of the Pacific Ocean.Īfter the decline of the fur trade, Bridger reinvented himself as a trader and wilderness guide.
He made one of the earliest excursions to the Yellowstone region, and famously became the first Anglo-American to see the Great Salt Lake. Bridger’s travels took him all the way from the Canadian border to southern Colorado. The journey marked the beginning of a 45-year career that saw him discover new routes across the frontier, survive an arrow wound to the back, marry three different Indian wives and found a trading fort on the Oregon Trail.
In 1822, 18-year-old Jim Bridger joined up with the Rocky Mountain Fur Company on a trapping expedition along the Missouri River.
