Disclaimer: These images and text were taken directly from the Internet, and while the reproductions are of poor quality, they remind the readers that the much of what we know about the Mountain Men during the Shining Times comes from first hand accounts. In this respect we have an accurate visual reference to dress and equipage. Wikipedia was the primary source, and links have been provided.
In 1832, the Scottish aristocrat and adventurer Sir William Drummond Stewart (26 December 1795 – 28 April 1871) travelled to St. Louis, Missouri. He brought letters of introduction to William Clark, Pierre Chouteau Jr.; William Ashley* and other prominent residents. He arranged to accompany Robert Campbell, who was taking a pack train to the 1833 rendezvous of mountain men. The party left St. Louis on May 7 and attended the Horse Creek Rendezvous in the Green River Valley of Wyoming. Here Stewart met the mountain men Jim Bridger and Thomas Fitzpatrick, as well as Benjamin Bonneville, who was leading a governmental expedition in the area. With some of the men, Stewart visited the Big Horn Mountains, wintered at Taos, and attended the next rendezvous at Ham's Fork of the Green River. Stewart attended the 1835 rendezvous at the mouth of New Fork River on the Green and reached St. Louis in November. In May of 1836, he joined Fitzpatrick's train to the Rockies for another rendezvous on Horse Creek.
For us, the historical significance of Miller's work cannot be underestimated. We have a first hand account of life on the prairie based on his preliminary sketches. Besides the details of dress and life style, his work captures the grandeur of the American West. In his paintings one can't help but feel how small the explores stood against the backdrops of flowing rivers and the endless expanse of the great plains.
As is proper, on-line reproductions of fine art are rendered in low resolution, in part to prevent digital pirating. To appreciate these paintings and illustrations, one needs to see them reproduced from authorized sources. I have several books on Miller, and can attest to the fact that his paintings contain far more detail than these pixilated images extracted from the web. I encourage you to remember the name and see if your local library has any books on his art.
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| Sir William Drummond Stewart Meets Chief |
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| The Lost Greenhorn |
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| Bartering for a Bride (The Trapper's Bride), 1845 |
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| Free Trappers In Trouble |
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| Pierre |
In this final image, we can see that pipes were carried on small neck lanyards, pistols weren't uncommon, decorative quillwork adorned the leather outer shirt, and that a second layer of clothing was worn beneath. Notice too that fringe appears on the major seams of the shoulders and the sleeves, which is there to wick water away from the threads holding the garment together.
I hope you'll encounter the works of Alfred Jacob Miller in works depicting the Fur Trade Era. The are as accurate a representation as one can get from the time. and can serve as a reference when a buckskinner seeks to make his persona as accurate as possible.
* William Henry Ashley (c. 1778 – March 26, 1838) was an American miner, land speculator, manufacturer, territorial militia officer, politician, frontiersman, trapper, fur trader, entrepreneur, and hunter. Ashley was best known for being the co-owner with Andrew Henry of the highly successful Rocky Mountain Fur Incorporated, otherwise known as "Ashley's Hundred" for the famous mountain men working for the firm from 1822–1834.
** Swiss painter Karl Bodmer (11 February 1809 – 30 October 1893) predates Miller as a painter of the west, something that I discovered while researching this post. Like Miller, he worked at the behest of another nobleman, Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied.
In 1832, the Scottish aristocrat and adventurer Sir William Drummond Stewart (26 December 1795 – 28 April 1871) travelled to St. Louis, Missouri. He brought letters of introduction to William Clark, Pierre Chouteau Jr.; William Ashley* and other prominent residents. He arranged to accompany Robert Campbell, who was taking a pack train to the 1833 rendezvous of mountain men. The party left St. Louis on May 7 and attended the Horse Creek Rendezvous in the Green River Valley of Wyoming. Here Stewart met the mountain men Jim Bridger and Thomas Fitzpatrick, as well as Benjamin Bonneville, who was leading a governmental expedition in the area. With some of the men, Stewart visited the Big Horn Mountains, wintered at Taos, and attended the next rendezvous at Ham's Fork of the Green River. Stewart attended the 1835 rendezvous at the mouth of New Fork River on the Green and reached St. Louis in November. In May of 1836, he joined Fitzpatrick's train to the Rockies for another rendezvous on Horse Creek.
