Stanley Vestal’s Mountain Men (1937) shares the elaborate and romanticized stories of the mountain men era in North America. This time period took place during the 1800s, with its peak occurring between the 1820s and 1840s due to an increase in fur demands.

Vestal’s book highlights the adventures of famed mountain men including John Colter, Jim Bridger, and James Beckwourth. It also shares details about the environment these men lived and worked in, including the area Pierre’s Hole. Now called the Teton Valley of Idaho, this place served as the perfect rendezvous point for mountain men to trade furs and restock their supplies.

The description of Pierre’s Hole reads:

That beautiful open valley, spreading its grassy prairies for almost thirty miles along the headwaters of Snake River, laced by rushing mountain streams, and overhung by the far-off majestic, snowcapped peaks of the Tetons (Vestal, 1937, p. 106).

The Rocky Mountain Rendezvous of 1832 took place here. Unfortunately it was followed by a bloody battle where known mountain man and fur trader, William Sublette, was severely wounded.

For more literature on Idaho’s history, search through the UI Library online catalog or make an appointment with the Special Collections and Archives Department.

Sources

Vestal, S. (1937). Mountain Men. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.