Early Settlers - Mountain men Flashcards
who were the mountain men and what did they do?
what year?
they were the first white settlers to move west
they came to hunt beavers bear and elk
1820’s to 1830’s
why did mountain men move west?
fur hats v fashionable early 19th century, great demand for fur
what were rendezvous?
where
dates
what did the trappers tell the merchants
once a year 1825 - 1840, trappers gathered to trade their catch
600 trappers with their fur
meet st.louis merchants who traded coffee, sugar, knives and rifles
they told the merchants of the rich fertile land west - would be brought back to east
what did Jeff smith discover? date
the south pass route through the rockies
1823
what did the south pass route make possible?
wagons could now travel through the rockies
who is jim bridger?
he discovered many paths through the rockies and discovered the great salt lake in 1824
he also built fort bridger
what were some dangers faced by mountain men? (3)
bears
diseases
and war
how did the mountain men survive?
married the natives = food and shelter
traded fur for coffee and sugar
made clothes from buffalo
why were MM important to the west?
they discovered the south pass, and hunted beavers for fur, to sell to the east
