Jim Bridger

Jim Bridger (1804–1881) was an American fur trader, trapper, and guide who explored the Rocky Mountains and helped travelers cross the western frontier.

Jedediah Smith: Jedediah Smith was an American fur trader and explorer who traveled widely across the American West in the 1820s and 1830s. Smith and Bridger belonged to the generation of mountain men who mapped routes through the West.
Fort Bridger: Fort Bridger was a trading post established in 1843 in what is now southwestern Wyoming. Bridger co-founded this post as a supply and trade point on western migration routes.
Mountain man: A mountain man was a fur trapper or trader who worked in the remote Rocky Mountains and surrounding regions during the 19th century. Bridger became one of the best-known examples of this frontier occupation.
Westward expansion: Westward expansion was the territorial growth and settlement of the United States across North America. Bridger’s routes and guiding helped make western travel more practicable for U.S. migrants and expeditions.
William Sublette: William Sublette was a fur trader, mountain man, and organizer of Rocky Mountain fur-trade expeditions. Sublette was Bridger’s partner in the fur trade and helped establish Fort Bridger.
Oregon Trail: The Oregon Trail was an overland emigrant route from the Missouri River to the Pacific Northwest. Bridger guided emigrants along sections of the trail and routes branching from it.
Fur trade in the American West: The fur trade in the American West was a commercial network that exchanged animal pelts for manufactured goods. Trapping and trading provided Bridger’s early livelihood and opened routes across the Rockies.
Indian Wars: The Indian Wars were armed conflicts between Indigenous peoples and the United States and its settlers over land and sovereignty. Bridger’s military guiding took place amid conflicts intensified by migration and U.S. expansion.
John C. Frémont: John C. Frémont was a U.S. Army officer and explorer whose 19th-century expeditions mapped parts of the American West. Bridger served as a guide on Frémont’s western expeditions.
Mormon Trail: The Mormon Trail was the overland route used by Latter-day Saint migrants traveling to the Great Salt Lake Valley. Bridger’s fort and regional knowledge figured into the migrants’ passage toward Utah.

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Hugh GlassRelated: Later accounts name Bridger as the younger companion who left Glass, though details vary.