In Mount Washington Forever Cemetery on a high vantage point in Independence, Missouri, stands a granite monument set among nondescript shrubs. A bas-relief carving of a man in a flat-brim hat and buckskin coat looks out from the stone. James Bridger, 1804 – 1881. People, if they know his name at all, know him better as Jim. Mountain man, explorer, entrepreneur, trapper, guide, Army scout, and legendary raconteur.
All but forgotten now, there was a time when the name Jim Bridger was synonymous with the opening of the American West. His life spanned most of the 19th century, and his story weaves together the most persistent themes of the frontier: the pioneer spirit, the self-made man, the quest for adventure, the struggle for survival, the clashing and blending of European and Native American cultures, and the rugged individualism of one who lives by his own rules. A man to match our mountains, he was surely not meant to be lost to history.
Read Full Article »