Best mountain man/Wild West books

BillyLif27

BillyLif27

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I’m looking for some opinions on the best books covering the accounts of mountain men and other similar history, especially covering the Jim Bridger/Hugh Glass era of the west. Accounts of Bridger and other trappers/mountain men are one of the main things I’m looking for but also any other recommendations of books covering history of the western US including books about the Great Basin or other Wild West subjects that you may have read about. If you’ve read a book about one of these subjects that you’d recommend then leave the name and maybe a brief description. Thanks
 
Not exactly wild west, but Utah history with a mining theme. Lady in the Ore Bucket was very interesting to me in regards to old time mining along the wasatch front. Numerous references in regards to how difficult travel was in Big and Little Cottonwood Canyon

Great basin newer history that intrigued me was the story of Claude Dallas. Give a boy a Gun was an a very interesting story on a wanna be cowboy/ mountainman that killed the two Idaho game wardens.
 
Journal of a Trapper by Osborne Russell is just as it says, an actual journal of a trapper for 9 years (1834-1843). I can’t remember if there was mention of Jim Bridger or not but I thought it was quite interesting. Here is an online copy.

Journal of a Trapper, by Osborne Russell

Nine years residence among the Rocky Mountains between the years of 1834 and 1843 -- Comprising a general description of the country, climate, rivers, lakes, mountains, etc., the nature and habits of animals, manners and customs of Indians and a complete view of the life led by a hunter in those...
mtmen.org

Also of course the Revenant is about Hugh Glass but not sure how historically accurate it is, great book though.

Mark
 
Read “Nine years among the Indians” by Herman Lehmann. Very interesting and worth the read.

He was kidnapped by Indians at a very young age and returned home years later…. Absolutely incredible the life he lived.
 
Where the Old West stayed young: Burroughs, John Rolfe:
376 pages illustrated by photographs and maps. Several chapters on "the bad men of Brown's Park and Robber's Roost, such as the Wild Bunch, the Ketchums, Matt Warner" From the title page: "The Remarkable History of Brown's Park Told for the First Time, Together with an Account of the Rise and Fall of the Range-Cattle Business in Northwestern Colorado and Southwestern Wyoming, and much about Cattle Barons, Sheep and Sheepmen, Forest Rangers, Range Wars, Long Riders, Paid Killers and other Bad Men.



I haven’t read the whole book yet. I spent a lot of time in Northwest Colorado. That’s where I’ve been hunting for over 20 years. I’m always interested in some of the history of the area. Somebody recommended this book to me. There’s some pretty good stories about browns park, Northwest Colorado and Southwest Wyoming. Plus some good pictures with some of the stories. And it has a little history about Jim Bridger..

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Just finished “Jim Bridger- Mountain Man” a biography by Stanley Vestal. It covers his entire life. Interesting read and informed me on quite a bit I had no idea about. I’d recommend it.
 
I've read most of the books listed above and I like them all. I spent some time this summer up at Theodore Roosevelt National Park and picked up a book that is different than the mountain man genre you referenced but a lot of hunters and outdoorsmen might like. Hunting Trips of a Ranchman & The Wilderness Hunter By Roosevelt. I've read a lot of TR's writings and he's more of a conservationist politician than writer, but still pretty good insight into what made him and thus caused him to protect a lot of the federal lands that he set aside for us.
 
Here are 2 books that I really like.

American Buffalo by Steven Rinella is a great bock it mixes the history of Buffalo in the United States with the authors Alaskan Buffalo hunt. Steven Rinella is an awesome story teller and I've listened to the book countless times.

Ridgeline, by Michael Punke is a historical fiction written from the journals of a US Army group set out to build a fort on the trail to the gold fields in Montana and the conflicts with the Native Americans.
 
Undaunted Courage by Stephen E. Ambrose
About the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Very good book.

The Virginian by Owen Wister.

Mountain Man by Vardis Fisher
This is also about Jeremiah Johnson.

The Big Sky by A.B. Guthrie.

All four are a good read.
 
I second Empire of the Summer Moon. Everybody was afraid of the Comanches. White, brown or red, they were all afraid.
I am in the middle of "The Arizona Rangers" by Bill O'Neil. Those guys were a whole different breed of men.
 
"The Saga of Hugh Glass" by John Myers Myers. No need for explanation. Great story.

"The Wild Bunch at Robbers Roost" by Pearl Baker. Great book about Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid as well as many other old time robbers and thieves who spent lots of time at Robber's Roost.

This is probably no longer available, but if you can find it, it's an awesome book. "Flaming Gorge Country" by Dick and Vivian Dunham, published in 1977 and 78. History pertaining to sw Wy and ne Utah. Mostly about homesteaders and crooks, etc. Very entertaining history about the region.
 
Crow Killer is the best. And the Jim Bridger book was also good.

Another one I really liked was "The Boys of Company K." At the end of the Mountain Man era but still really good. I bought it at Fort Laramie in the visitor's center.

Crazy Horse and Custer was another really good read. Maybe not mountain men but a really insightful book.

As far as I know, Jeremiah Johnson was not a real person. Just a marketing name made up for a movie. He was John Johnson and a true man among men. I wish he was buried in Wyoming where he belongs, not in some urban grave in southern California. We should pay to move him back to Wyoming.

Chip Carlson also has a couple of really good books about Tom Horn. Again, not mountain man stuff but if you are from Wyoming, well worth reading. Lots of the Tom Horn stuff takes place in my regular haunts, so I identify with it.
 
American Buffalo is great. I listened to the audiobook. Steven Rinella is a gifted writer and storyteller. Very easy to get lost in the story while listening to that book.
 
Would be nice if they made a new Jeremiah Johnson movie. Old one is ok. But with all the stories he had they could make on hell of a good movie.
 
Lee Nielson has some good books. He uses historical moments to create fictional characters and stories. He does extensive research for his books, including killing a bison I believe on the Henry's from the back of a horse using a bow and arrow.
His first books was Storm Testament 1 and 2. They are about a young man part of the first Latter Day Saints pioneers to travel to Utah.
Other books to follow was Chief Walkara great book, and The Blackhawk wars the first settlers of Utah and the Ute Indians.
He wrote a fictional story called Storm Gold. It was about the spanish conquistadors and the Spanish priests that came to the Utah/Colorado looking for gold and baptisms. Great book he includes some really neat historical facts.
He wrote a book on Butch Cassidy and the Hole in the Wall gang. It is more humorous tails of Butch.
He also did a book on Porter Rockwell the mormon avenging angel.
You might find a good book or two
 
Chief of Scouts, Thirty One Years on the Plains and in the Mountains - Capt. William F Drannan. Great read.

Also, recently, I've picked up couple of books on Ishi, last of the Yahi. Last "wild" indian who came into civilization in 1911in Tehama County, California.
 
As a boy I liked "With The Indians In The Rockies" by James Willard Schultz (published 1912). He wrote a number of other books like this.

From Amazon:

"Thomas and his friend Pitamakan, a Blackfoot boy, live at Fort Benton on the western frontier One day, having ventured into the mountains to trap beaver, Tom and Pitamakan are attacked by a band of Kootenay Indians, who spare their lives, but make off with everything they have The boys are stranded without horses, with no food or weapons, without shelter or any means of building a fire
Tom is sure they're going to die But Pitamakan teaches him how to survive in the wilderness according to the old ways, and together the boys struggle to build shelter, fashion handmade weapons, and hunt for food and clothing Still, months of harsh winter weather lie ahead and there is danger everywhere Will the boys ever see their families again?"
 
Not really a wild west story but a true story of the Depression era of the 1930's. This book is maybe the best book I've ever read. "The Boys in the Boat"

Amazon.com: The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics eBook : Brown, Daniel James: Kindle Store

The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics - Kindle edition by Brown, Daniel James. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading The Boys in...
www.amazon.com
 
currently reading "the Champion buffalo hunter" by Victor Grant Jones edited by Jeanette Prodgers.

Yellowstone Vic Jones hunted in N. Dakota and eastern Montana in the 70's and 80's.

It's time to piss on the fire and call in the dogs
 
I've ordered 8 of these books. Read two while I was scouting last week. Nine years among the Indians” by Herman Lehmann is one badass read!!!! If you have any wimpy ass intitled grandkids make them read it or pay them too! That was one tough kid!!!
 
Just saw this post, and appreciated it and the various leads to more new books to read. My Dad was in a high stress management position for many years in the East, and his main means of relaxing was to read a Louis L'Amour book for about 30 minutes each evening before bed. He eventually got me addicted to them, and I read them all. Couldn't wait for the newest ones to come out. Little did I know that 50 years later, I was to live out here and visit many of the places he wrote about!!!

They are very predictable, but good fiction, and the hero always survives the beatings, gunshots, kicks zzz, and gets the beautiful girl who owns a ranch. Still fun to read, and the historical research and locations are pretty true to actual geography.

Just finished reading "Taming the Nieces Strip" about the Rangers and McNelly. Those were some tough SOB's!!
 
Blank said:
Just saw this post, and appreciated it and the various leads to more new books to read. My Dad was in a high stress management position for many years in the East, and his main means of relaxing was to read a Louis L'Amour book for about 30 minutes each evening before bed. He eventually got me addicted to them, and I read them all. Couldn't wait for the newest ones to come out. Little did I know that 50 years later, I was to live out here and visit many of the places he wrote about!!!

They are very predictable, but good fiction, and the hero always survives the beatings, gunshots, kicks zzz, and gets the beautiful girl who owns a ranch. Still fun to read, and the historical research and locations are pretty true to actual geography.

Just finished reading "Taming the Nieces Strip" about the Rangers and McNelly. Those were some tough SOB's!!
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It was back in the 1950’s. My father had the same addiction. Louis LAmour was the man. It was before we had electricity so, no radios or televisions, where we lived. ALmour was the author of choice, for evening entertainment. I remember well the day he blue a gasket……… we lived a fair piece from town and it was all gravel wash board roads etc, so going to town was a major event. Sometimes it was a month or more in between.

Anyway, Dad had been to town and came home with a new Louis ALmour paperback. That evening, he sets down in his easy chair and starts to read. Pretty soon, up he jumps, and yells, “SON OF A B!TCH”, throws the book down, and heads for the door. My Mom, says, “what’s wrong”? He says, “that’s the third time……..”. Mom said, “what’s the third time”. He said, “they change the GDamn covers on these books……… I’ve already read it”.

Slow learner!
 
I’ve read so many they all start to over lap and many of their histories get told, in part, in each others books. I just read this one last spring. It’s a good one too.

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Iddogguy said:
I've ordered 8 of these books. Read two while I was scouting last week. Nine years among the Indians” by Herman Lehmann is one badass read!!!! If you have any wimpy ass intitled grandkids make them read it or pay them too! That was one tough kid!!!
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I'm about 1/4 of the way through it. It takes a lot to shock me and I'm shocked.
 
eelgrass said:
I'm about 1/4 of the way through it. It takes a lot to shock me and I'm shocked.
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Anytime I read a history that includes North American native people, and their interactions with Europeans, being shocked is a mild term for it. And…….. not just because of the behavior of the natives peoples. Anglo Saxons can be extremely cruel SOB’s. I will not judge people’s behavior from the past by how we interact today. Time and place, time and place, everything’s different based on the time and place.
 
Frontiersman and wilderness war, both by Allan Eckert. Not quite the mountain man of the west stuff, more about the settling between the Appalachians and the Mississippi River.
 

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