Even before the Astorians (and before Lewis and Clark) there were many Euro-Americans traveling up and down the Missouri River.

These adventurers were pushing the limits of known civilization and discovering new regions. Today we call them “Mountain Men” but back then there were known simply as trappers.

These solitary fur-trappers lived thousands of miles from civilization. Most had no home, no money and no possessions—except what they could carry on their horses. They lived completely off the land, with a diet of buffalo, elk and mountain goat. While they didn’t get many vegetables, they did get exercise--roaming constantly, covering hundreds, perhaps thousands of miles each year. And it was all in search of just one thing—beaver pelts.

Why beaver pelts? The hides could be made into fashionable waterproof hats--hats that were quite popular in place like London--where it rains a lot. And so the pelts became very valuable commodities--persuading men to push deep into the unknown wilderness.