Bridger, James
Born March 17, 1804
Richmond, Virginia
Died July 17, 1881
Missouri
Mountain man, trapper, guide
"Only a man with extraordinary and relentless powers of observation, only a man with an utterly reliable memory could possibly gain and retain exact knowledge of the mighty welter of mountains, the endless tangle of streams and valleys which formed Bridger's vast hunting grounds."
Stanley Vestal in Jim Bridger: Mountain Man
One of the American West's most infamous mountain men and scouts, Jim Bridger also operated a key trading post on the trail to California and served as a guide for mapping expeditions and military crusades against the Indians. He is credited with discovering the Great Salt Lake in present-day Utah, as well as the pass that was later used by the Overland Mail and the Pony Express.
Difficult Early Life
Bridger was born on March 17, 1804, in Richmond, Virginia, where he spent his youth working at the family business, a tavern (restaurant and bar). When he was eight years old, his family journeyed westward to Missouri Territory in a covered wagon, finally settling on a farm in Six-Mile-Prairie, which was not far from the booming city of St. Louis.
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