[slivers&dust]

I just bought a copy of the 1980 Film MOUNTAIN MEN with Charlton Heston & Brian Keith and it is packed with great references of Mountain men, French trappers & Indians and all their gear. Great stuff! The show isn’t too bad either.

I also figured out if I play the DVD on my laptop I can pause it and go frame by frame. The best part is I can capture the frame and save it and use the picture for reference.

[brent]

Don't forget....Robert Redford as Jeremiah Johnson. I thought it was a good one also.
I think they came out about the same time.

[Lynn O. Doughty]

They're both pretty good. Jerimiah was loosley based on the true story of Liver-Eating Johnson and the Mountain Men was very loosley based on John Colter.

Another good one is Man in the Wilderness starring Richard Harris. He plays a character loosley based on the real figure of Hugh Glass. Part of the Henry trapping party, Glass was almost killed by a bear attack. Two other members of the party were instructed to stay behind with him to either help him recover or bury him. They abandoned him a few days later, taking all his weapons. He managed to set a broken leg, sew up his wounds and crawl 100 miles to help. Guess who was one of the two who abandoned him.....Jim Bridger.

I sure which they would make some movies about the real people without all the embellishments of Hollywood. The truth is a lot more interesting that the fiction they think needs to be added to flesh out the story.

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

An other one is the first part of Centennial, Pasquinel.....I did a painting of him leading a mule across a ridge....in fact I am looking at it right now lol Pasquinel, not the mule!

[Lynn O. Doughty]

I wish they would make a movie about Jedediah Smith. Of all the Mountain Men he was the standout. He was there in the beginning and blazed the trail that almost all the others followed. Jim Beckworth would be another that would make a great movie. All these great subjects and they give us date-flicks and slasher movies.

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Yep and another that would make a fabulous movie would be the true story of the Donner Party

[slivers&dust]

Hollywood my doll up the stories some but the wardrobe / costume designer did a great job on creating the look of the Mt. man and his equipment.

also found this interesting site.
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/HNS/Mtmen/home.html

In this site I found this description of the equipment used by the Mountain men trappers as described by Osbourne Russell.

"A Trappers equipment in such cases is generally one Animal upon which is placed...a riding saddle and bridle a sack containing six Beaver traps a blanket with an extra pair of Moccasins his powder horn and bullet pouch with a belt to which is attached a butcher Knife a small wooden box containing bait for Beaver a Tobacco sack with a pipe and implements for making fire with sometimes a hatchet fastened to the Pommel of his saddle his personal dress is a flannel or cotton shirt (if he is fortunate to obtain one, if not Antelope skin answers the purpose of over and under shirt) a pair of leather breeches with Blanket or smoked Buffalo skin, leggings, a coat made of Blanket or Buffalo robe a hat or Cap of wool, Buffalo or Otter skin his hose are pieces of Blanket lapped round his feet which are covered with a pair of Moccasins made of Dressed Deer Elk or Buffaloe skins with his long hair falling loosely over his shoulders complete the uniform."

It’s funny how when I was in school I wasn’t interested in any of this history stuff at all. Now its fascinating.

Thanks guys for the other references (movies) and famous men.

Hey Lynn I read where Jedediah Strong Smith was also attached by a bear nearly completely ripping off his scalp (only hanging on by an ear). He had a companion sew it back on and was back on the trail in two weeks…ewww gives me the willies.

I also ran across several, what sound like, good book titles I may check out at the library…another place I haven’t been to in a few years.

[AlArchie]

There ares some really good historical movies out there......some biographical and some fiction, based on historical events. BUT you have to look for them on the History Channel, Hallmark Movie channel and the likes. One that struck me was "Broken Trail" on the Hallmark Channel. Interesting story with great characters based on real pioneers.

A lot of our folk heros had a basis in historical incidents, but the passing of oral stories made them larger than life. I think we need more of that!

"Larger than Life" doesn't diminish one iota, the courage and bravado of the originals. It just adds to the mystique.

Around here, Paul Bunyan used to be of the same stuff as Crockett and Boone. Most folks think (if they even have a clue about Bunyan) that he was stricly a character of fiction. Our Canadian friends, a bit to the north of here, may know that he was borne of the 1837 Papineau Rebellion. Bun~on (can't place that squiggly properly) pronounced with a distinct French Canadian accent, "Boonyone" was a massive farmer and logger of the Quebec region and earned fame as a fierce fighter and leader of the rebellion. Later, due to his reputation and obvious physical stature, became a renouned logging camp boss.

I find this a mite hard to swallow, but the Canadian bards were not quite equal, when it came to yarn spinning, to the bunkhouse story tellers of the Northern Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin logging camps, and Paul "Boonyone" became a truly Americanized hero of the logging era, encompassing the mid 1800's up through post WWII. As there were few French in this area and more Scotch, Finnish, and Norwegian, Paul "Boonyone" became Paul Bunyan, and the stories of this legendary giant logging camp boss grew to become entrenched among the loggers. Not many left who recall the camps any more, let alone the stories.

Paul has long since passed into oblivion, but he was an actual part of French Canadian history and then lent his legend to the American folklore of the northern Great Lakes area, during the hayday of hard logging, river drives and lumber camps.

Al

[Mark Gargac]

Al, thats right, the History Channal has some great bios and docs. Google the history channal, and at search, type in Mountain Men, you can order DVD's on just about any program they air on the history channal. I have the "Mountain Men," which is excellent, Bridger, Carson, Jedidiah Smith, the Hugh Glass event, along with others, some great scenery of the Rockies, and alot of interesting information, on this 100 min. Dvd. I also have, "Hunting Tech", Crocket/Boone, "The Great Hunters" along with other docs and bios, and the complete volume of "Wild West Tech's". Sometimes I think I watch to much T.V.!

[feb]

Another good reference movie for this subject also starring RICHARD HARRIS IS A man called horse 1&2 FEB