MeatEater's American History: The Mountain Men (1806-1840) cover art

MeatEater's American History: The Mountain Men (1806-1840)

 Preview

Get 30 days of Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30-day free trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options
Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

About this listen

 From the creators of the New York Times bestselling audio series Campfire Stories and MeatEater’s American History comes a new audiobook original that plunges listeners into the untamed world of a celebrated and misunderstood group of nineteenth-century outdoorsmen: the Mountain Men.

Steven Rinella (The MeatEater Podcast) brings to life the legendary wilderness exploits of men such as Jim Bridger, Jedidiah Smith, and Hugh Glass, who headed out to the Rocky Mountains to trap beavers in the decades following the Louisiana Purchase. Living off the land and dodging grizzly bears, these colorful characters carved out an existence defined by their relationships with Native people, their capacity to endure the most trying conditions, and their intimate knowledge of the western landscape. This small fraternity of backwoodsmen—numbering only a few hundred at any point in time, and perhaps 3,000 total over the course of the era—not only lived in dramatic fashion, they died the same way: one in ten would suffer some sort of violent death in the wilds of the Rockies.

Their extraordinary feats—some heroic, others horrifying—helped define an era when the West represented not just unmapped territory, but untapped opportunity. And when a combination of economic and ecological factors caused their world to collapse, the mountain men left behind more than just tracks in the wilderness; they established an enduring archetype of independence, resilience, and an untamed spirit that still resonates through American culture today. Adventurers, Explorers & Survival Americas Hunting Hunting & Fishing Outdoors & Nature State & Local United States
All stars
Most relevant
Enjoyed it. Great insights. Not going to lie that it was a bit of a downer however, that Steve's friend wasn't also narrating. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Marvelous. Worth the Wait. Well done Steve.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
In depth and well researched. Steve and his team know their subject exceptionally well and make it totally absorbing to listen to.

Fascinating Reaf

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
An interesting and educational listen. However the author’s overuse of the word “quote” quickly became annoying.

Stop saying “quote”

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.