Mountain Man Research Paper

Improved Essays
Mountain Men
The outdoorsman way of life is one of the simplest, yet difficult ways to live and is the oldest. Everybody’s ancestors were hunters and gatherers. The Mountain man way of life is almost extinct; however there are still people who live this primitive life.
The Mountain man needed very distinct characteristics and skills to be able to survive in the harsh climates they generally inhabited. They needed tenacity, and the desire to leave the metropolitan areas most people inhabit compared with the skills needed to make some money. Luckily for William Henry Ashley, he had these things; He was originally in the mining business making saltpeter (used to make gun powder) but things took a political turn when he was “elected Lieutenant
…show more content…
Ashley who had led two failed attempts resulting in him being 100,000 dollars in debt had an unquenchable thirst for prosperity in fur trading and followed his partners food steps, “He left from Fort Atkinson on the Missouri River north of present-day Omaha on November 3, 1824 with a party of 25 men, 50 pack horses and a number of horse-drawn wagons” (“William Henry Ashley”). He headed south down the Platte River in high spirits after his partners report of success but those feelings quickly retreated to feelings of hopelessness when he had to abandon the wagons and almost all the horses, in the brutal winter that had commandeered Wyoming. After traversing through the perilous yet vibrant snowy woods the men found themselves in jeopardy; exhausted and near death in fact “They would have died of starvation if they had not been welcomed by Pawnee tribesmen near the fork of the North and South Platte Rivers in western Nebraska” (“William Henry Ashley”). The term “Pawnee” is a Sioux word meaning horn, which refers to the “distinctive hairstyle of the Pawnee warriors, who coated their hair with thick grease and paint so that it stood up and curved like a horn” (“Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes” 1). Pawnee was thought of as a highly spiritual tribe that wasn’t hostile. They viewed the sun and the stars as god like and used them as their compass. After resting in the Pawnee village Ashley decided to move on and head further west where they met up and joined a group of French trappers. They traveled all the way up to where the Green River meets Henrys fork in southern Wyoming where they traded their furs with the Ute

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Essay On Osage Tribe

    • 431 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The people in the Osage tribe loved to hunt. They used to hunt buffaloes, elk, deer, black bear, wild turkey, ect. They also used to use herbs. They used to make tools out of the animal bones and them used them to hunt. They also wore the skin of the animals as their clothes, the men wore the buffalo skin to cover them in the winter and the women wore knee-length dresses with tights during a bad weather.…

    • 431 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    He was born February 24, 1817 in Hamden, Connecticut. His middle name is Morris. At the age of four he became an orphan. 1836 he was nineteen and joined Whitman-Spaulding missionary party. He then told them he wanted to be his own man.…

    • 331 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Fremont. Sounds familiar right? John Charles Fremont was an outrageous mountain man. He built traps, he caught his food, killed his food, and got skins from the animals that he killed. He was amazing!…

    • 586 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Battle of King's Mountain was a battle between Patriot forces and Loyalist forces in South Carolina during the American Revolutionary War, resulting in a victory for the Patriots. The Patriots were Americans rebelling against the British Empire and the Loyalists were Americans who remained loyal to the British Empire. The battle took place on October 7, 1780; nine miles south of the present-day town of King’s Mountain in rural Cherokee County, North Carolina. Ferguson had arrived in North Carolina in early September, 1780, to recruit troops for the Loyalists and to protect the of Lord Cornwallis' main force. Ferguson issued a challenge to the rebel militias to lay down their arms or suffer the consequences.…

    • 339 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The mountain meadows massacre was a tragedy that happened in Cedar City, Utah September 7th to 11th 1857. This was the killing of roughly 120 immigrants that were coming from Arkansas to California. they were killed by mormons and the help of Paiute Indians. The immigrants came from Arkansas which is where I live All of this was a very tragic. Because these immigrants just wanted to get a new start on life because they had gotten into a fight with the mormons.…

    • 800 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Brady Price Mrs. Gillum English 11A 16 May 2018 Appalachian Mountain Appalachian refers to a largely rural people who reside in the southern Appalachian region covering about 110,000 square miles in the states of Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama. Appalachian are spread through the Appalachian Mountains in nine states. This area consists of three physiographic regions. The Blue Ridge Mountains, with the highest peaks in the area, constitute the eastern region; the central, southern, East Tennessee, and Southwest Virginia. The Appalachian is such an amazing way to find the history of our lands and what all has happened in these mountains (“Appalachians”).…

    • 1205 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    By Alan Lovett With a steady pace, after 65 days of hill and dale, Alan reached the halfway point in Pennsylvania where the Shenandoah section skirts along the ridge. There he found the Appalachian Trail Center with cheering friends and home cooked food. Escaping to hike the Appalachian Trail, is a 2190 mile trek through 14 states extending from Georgia to Maine. The Appalachian trail is an astounding contrast of terrains and vegetation from the southernmost states to the northern apex.…

    • 451 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In Georgia; right outside of Atlanta in DeKalb County, there is a mountain that stands out from the rest. This mountain is completely made of granite. It is 5,000 feet long, seven miles around the base and a mile to the summit up the sloping side. Records say it is the largest mountain made of stone. This mountain is ironically named Stone Mountain and there is a Confederate memorial that is on the side of it.…

    • 1182 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Montana Research Paper

    • 1733 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Montana is one of the less known states, located in the Western region of the US. The state 's name comes from the word montaña (mountain in Spanish). Montana is also ranked 4th in size, but 44th in population. Even though it seems quite and unknown to most Americans, it still has its crime to contend with. Most of the crimes occurred in the city of Helena.…

    • 1733 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Mountain Men In The 1800s

    • 696 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Mountain Men came to exist throughout the 1800’s, but were at their peak between 1830 to 1850 mainly because of the Fur Trade. There was never a large number of mountain men to exist. Who can blame them? Living this sort of lifestyle was never easy; even for those who have acquired the knowledge needed to survive. They faced many obstacles while traveling from place to place such as extreme temperatures, starvation, and attacks from Indians and Grizzly Bears.…

    • 696 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Did you know that Pawnee are known. for their beautiful hide paintings, pottery and woven baskets. And Pawnee was known for other stuff like there location. facts and traditions. They are a native American tribe.…

    • 348 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    After watching the videos on the struggle in Appalachian Mountains, all I could think about is how can I do my part to break the cycle. Now that I have a small idea of what I could be anticipating once my company opens an office in the Appalachians, I need to figure out how will be able a tackle and improve upon these challenges. My major concern is the living conditions, the individual’s health and their education. I realize that living conditions and personal health can be related but I think they should be tackled separately and to not rely on one fixing the other. We can see in the documentary that there is this cycle that starts from an every young age and is reinforced from ongoing insecurities.…

    • 746 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Patrick Johnson Engr 597 Tectonics Dr. Gifford 10/14/2016 Formation of the Rocky Mountains Abstract • How did they form? • Sevier orogeny • Laramide orogeny • prevailing theory (flat slab subduction) 1. Very low angle subducting slab 2. rubbing against underside of North American plate 3.…

    • 929 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Culture/history (Elliot) The culture of the rocky mountain region is very diverse. There are many festivals, art shows, eateries, theater, and concerts are some of the things you can do in this culture filled region. Culture and religion Wildlife/Physical Features (Everyone) Common animals are Elks, Bighorn sheeps, moose, cougars, bobcats, bears. The Rocky Mountains are teeming with aquatic and aerial life forms.…

    • 649 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    ion This class revealed to me that I have a hiking style. Something I never consider before. Some characteristics are: I found that I enjoyed hiking with a small group of people. I define a small group being less than four people.…

    • 786 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Decent Essays