The 'Mountain Men' were very important to the history of westward migration.

They spread the stories of fertile and good land beyond the Rocky Mountains.

This caused a big 'pull' demand for people to move west.

What was the importance of the mountain men?

Jim Bridger (right), and many others, went to the mountains for freedom. There were no restrictions or rules to the way of life they wanted to lead. They became expert hunters and trackers, and lived at one with the Indians. Some even married Indian women. Their main income was from the fur they traded. They would hunt and trap animals like beavers, deer and racoons. There were many dangers - grizzly bears, mountain lions, rock-falls, snow blizzards and food shortages, as well as being hundreds of miles from the nearest doctor!

Grizzly bear - less than 420 remain in the American Rockies - Grrrr! Colorado Rockies - well, would you live here or in a New York slum? 'The Trapper's Bride' by Alfred Jacob Miller, 1850 It's not alive! It's a real coonskin hat!

Every year between 1815 and 1840 the trappers, hunters, traders, Indians and mountain men would hold a big gathering called a Rendezvous, where they would trade and swap stories. The traders then passed on these stories about the good land beyond the Rockies to people east of the Mississippi river. Farmers and city-dwellers alike planned new lives for themselves in Oregon and California. The mountain men helped the migrants cross the Rockies and Sierra Nevada safely to their new homes.