Mountain Man of Green River

Display inside the museum

We drove into Pinedale (Wyoming) yesterday, about a 30 minute drive south on route 191.  Cute town.  Population about 1700 but it has everything you could imagine.  Big hotels, lots of places to eat, a micro brewery, QUILT SHOP, cowboy apparel, banks, gift shops, sporting goods stores, ya-di, ya-di, ya.  We are always amazed that when we get into these small towns, there is so much.  We are in the heart of the Green River Rendezvous area, I'll explain in a bit.  Winters here in the mountains are pretty brutal, lots of snow, 20 below, wind chill into the -40's.  But spring/summer/fall - its a great place to spend some time, especially the second week in July - they host the Mountain Man Rendezvous.  Did I tell you I am an American History nut?  This town would be fun to see in July.

The Hat That Opened The West

As early as 1600 beaver top hats were the style and when beaver became extinct in Europe, and right after Lewis and Clark's Expedition came through, the American West was opened up for exploration and hunting.  The Mountain Man became a symbol of the true American frontier.  For over two decades the men would trap beaver and other animals, sending their hides back to St. Louis for money. Fur companies formed, trappers became aligned with them, and these company men roamed the Great Western Basin.   Over 100,000 beaver hides were consumed in the fashion industry every year until beaver hats were replaced with silk, this by 1840.  However, during 1825 to 1840, the Mountain Men would come together 16 times at designated rendezvous places and swap stories, product, resupply, realigned with different fur companies, and 9 of these gatherings were held within 20 miles Pinedale.  How did these people know what the day of the month was to be here?  After the beaver trapping days were over by 1840, these men became guides, laying the foundation for the opening of the American West.  So - present day - during this July reenactment, over 15,000 people come to see the doings.  What fun!

One of Fred Pflughoft's books

We went to the Museum of the Mountain Man in Pinedale, dedicated to those men who worked and plied their trapping skills for the fur industry trade.  Pretty impressive.  Displays of their living quarters, had the original rifle of Jim Bridger - the well known mountain man you have heard about; displays on how they lived such as their camp, their traps they used, how they spent their winters, their cooking and hunting supplies, etc.
And, in an other area of the museum was the Archaic room - when the gas companies started drilling for gas, they discovered remains of ancient peoples dating back over 10 thousand years ago.  Pretty well preserved and what a find!

While in Pinedale, Dave went to a sporting goods store to look for some hooks/clips.  He struck up a conversation with a Fred Pflughoft, he learned he is a professional photographer and has written over 14 books.  We did see his books while in the National Parks' book stores, glanced at them, but now we are talking with him!  He gave Dave some insights and pointers on what Fred looks for while on a shoot, as a matter of fact he has done a PBS series of Lodges of the National Parks.  Wow.  And - he told us about a current project - we are going there today to see and hopefully find some of the things he has shot.  Google this guy - or better yet - go to pinedaleonline.com  and go to photos and then click on Fred's photos.   We are impressed!