If he had to do it over, there's a chance Hugh Glass would never have followed the Missouri River across South Dakota once, let alone returned.
Since this is True West, I should add this preface: everything in this story is true. Perhaps. Well, kinda. At least it is mountain man-true...you know, part of it might be a tall tale, or a windy, or a yarn, but the truth is in there somewhere. The story is 200 years old and has had lots of embellishments along the way, beginning within days of pivotal events.
In 1822, William Ashley and Andrew Henry ran an advertisement in a St. Louis newspaper calling for 100 enterprising young men to ascend the Missouri River and engage in the fur trade. Before long the fur traders headed upriver, building Fort Henry at the confluence of the Yellowstone River with the Missouri. Ashley then returned to St. Louis to recruit more men including James Clymer, William Sublette, Thomas Fitzpatrick and Hugh Glass.
Up the Missouri River
The trip upriver in 1823 was a grueling start as the men used ropes to haul-or poles to force-keelboats against the current, enroute to Fort Henry some 2,000 river miles upstream. They were just north of the confluence of the Grand River with the Missouri near the present border between North and South Dakota, in late May when they anchored the keelboats near a large Arikara village.
Ashley entered the village, successfully trading guns and ammunition for some horses. He then put Jedediah Smith and Hugh Glass in charge of the horse herd. The intent was for them to drive the horses to Fort Henry, while others in the party continued their journey by boat.
Denne historien er fra September 2023-utgaven av True West.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra September 2023-utgaven av True West.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Where Did the Loot Go? - This is one of those find the money stories. And it's one that has attracted treasure hunters for more than 150 years.
Whatever happened to the $97,000 from the Reno Gang's last heist? Up to a dozen members of the Reno Gang stopped a Jeffersonville, Madison and Indianapolis train at a watering station in southern Indiana. The outlaws had prior intelligence about its main load: express car safes held about $97,000 in government bonds and notes. In the process of the job, one of the crew was killed and two others hurt. The gang made a clean getaway with the loot.
Hero of Horsepower - Los Angeles lawman William Hammel tamed one of the West's wildest towns with hard work and horseless carriages.
Los Angeles lawman William Hammel tamed one of the West's wildest towns with hard work and horseless carriages.
From the Basin to the Plains
Discover Wyoming on a road trip to Cody, Casper and Cheyenne.
COLLECTING AMERICAN OUTLAWS
Wilbur Zink has preserved the Younger Gang's history in more ways than one.
Spencer's West
After the Civil War, savvy frontiersmen chose the Spencer repeating carbine.
Firearms With a Storied Past
Rock Island gavels off high profits from historic firearms.
She Means Business!
An energetic and ambitious woman has come to Lincoln, New Mexico, to restore the town's legendary Ellis Store.
Ride that Train!
HERITAGE RAILROADS KEEP THE OLD WEST ALIVE ACROSS THE UNITED STATES.
Saddle Up with a Western
Old West fiction and nonfiction are the perfect genres to fill your summer reading list.
RENEGADES OF THE RAILS
RAILROADS WERE OPEN SEASON FOR OKLAHOMA AND INDIAN TERRITORY OUTLAW GANGS.
