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Many traders and trappers took Indian wives...
William Bent , Kit Carson , Edwin Deing are some who lived with their wives , in a committed relationship.
Hudson Bay Company employees were often encouraged to take a Indian wife and settle in the area as well.

Some of course were "wives of the moment" or rendezvous loves....but again...
More often than not...a trapper who stayed out in the west , often married into a tribe or other native family.
Andy
 
Also surprising the few deaths by animals, considering their prevalence back when, and no cougar, I suppose it might have something to do with prey availability.

I think a few things account for that:

1) Animals are a LOT less dangerous to humans than a lot of people think.

2) Back then, wild animals were shot on first sight with more regularity than today.
 
Ha...:D
Well truth be known...
I can do many of the things that a fur trapper did...
In fact one of the reasons why I do my displays is to show folks how things were actually done in that time period....
Rather than what is shown in movies and the like..

But I am glad that its only for a few weeks out of the year , instead of my actual living conditions.
Andy

I would have to say that if the people in "Alone" were allowed firearms, even a muzzleloader, and to be able to shoot bears for food, they would do a lot better than they are now trapping mice. I noticed none of them in the first season had archery equipment. Maybe that comes later?

That said, I don't think it is a stretch to say that any trapper/mountain man/et. al. from the 1800s would do a lot better.
 
Andy, any records of trappers just disappearing never to be found again? Being able to discover cause of death implies that at least a body or some other evidence was found.
 
I bet to see nature as it was back then, sure was something.
Reminds me of an old photograph in a old west book of mine. There are some wagons and pioneers, and mounted on one wagon is a elk rack, and it appesrs almost bigger than the wagon itself, the elk must have been massive compared to todays bulls.
 
Back in my 'mountain man' days! img20190823_20194939.jpg
 
My maternal grandfather was born in the late 1800s. He was a jack of all trades. Among other things, he worked in timber camps and was an outdoorsman, hunting bear, elk and deer with an old .30-30 and fishing - he had a smokehouse he built for his meat and fish. He loved to fish - he spent a lot of time on the coast.

Back in his day, when he was young, much of Oregon was still pretty wild compared to today. Especially where he hung out on the coast and SW OR.
 
Interesting. My sister (rest her soul) got interested in genealogy before she passed. Turns out I'm descended from French/Canadian fur trappers and am also 1/64 Blackfoot Indian.

Guess I'll have to go out and kill myself now...:s0002:
 
Interesting. My sister (rest her soul) got interested in genealogy before she passed. Turns out I'm descended from French/Canadian fur trappers and am also 1/64 Blackfoot Indian.

Guess I'll have to go out and kill myself now...:s0002:
There was a whole lot of Metis and mixed blood ( to use a period term ) folks involved in all aspects the fur trade....
Sure seems a whole bunch better gettin' along with others ( at least for winter ) and making alliances and family...than fighting.

Actually there were not many "formal" battles between mountain men and the various tribes...
Sure lots of ambushing...stealing of horses , harassing , skirmishing and such....
But both sides here , understand that a serious fight meant death for all around....either in the fight itself or from all the revenge getting....

Again not saying that it was all a hand in hand Kumbaya fest ....
Lots of "fights"....but fewer large scale engagements , than what movies , novels and even some period accounts tell of.
Andy
 
There is a whole lot of Metis and mixed blood ( to use a period term ) folks involved in all aspects the fur trade....
Sure seems a whole bunch better gettin' along with others ( at least for winter ) and making alliances and family...than fighting.

Actually there were not many "formal" battles between mountain men and the various tribes...
Sure lots of ambushing...stealing of horses , harassing , skirmishing and such....
But both sides here , understand that a serious fight meant death for all around....either in the fight itself or from all the revenge getting....

Again not saying that it was all a hand in hand Kumbaya fest ....
Lots of "fights"....but fewer large scale engagements , than what movies , novels and even some period accounts tell of.
Andy
There is a whole lot of Metis and mixed blood ( to use a period term ) folks involved in all aspects the fur trade....
Sure seems a whole bunch better gettin' along with others ( at least for winter ) and making alliances and family...than fighting.

Actually there were not many "formal" battles between mountain men and the various tribes...
Sure lots of ambushing...stealing of horses , harassing , skirmishing and such....
But both sides here , understand that a serious fight meant death for all around....either in the fight itself or from all the revenge getting....

Again not saying that it was all a hand in hand Kumbaya fest ....
Lots of "fights"....but fewer large scale engagements , than what movies , novels and even some period accounts tell of.
Andy

You betcha. Those were the days when they didn't have to kill you outright to kill you. Just inflicting a semi-serious wound and letting nature take its course was often all it took.
 

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