"Worst storm I ever was in was back in the middle '20's" said the famous mountain man Jim Bridger. "At the time I was trappin' in the Great Salt Lake valley. This whoppin' big storm moves in and it snowed and the wind blowed for the best part of two months straight without let-up. And then it got cold! Oh, was it cold! In fact, it was so cold there was a buffalo herd I came across that froze to death standin' up. Using my lariat and horse I snaked a lot of them over to the edge of Salt Lake. I was told the Indians in those parts lived for several years off the buffalo meat preserved in the salt brine."

Jim Bridger liked to tell stories and he had a great sense of humor. His nickname was Old Gabe. He was born in Virginia on St. Patrick's Day in 1804. He died blind on a Missouri farm at age 77 in 1881. Jim Bridger was the oldest trapper and he died of old age.

He scouted the Oregon Trail and the Western Trail. He was also the first to see the Great Salt Lake in 1824. Jim Bridger was a chief of five tribes and he spoke 6 Indian languages. He also spoke French and Spanish besides English. He was the first to see what is now Yellowstone National Park in 1830. He also discovered South Pass in 1827. He was an army officer.

Bridger had many adventures. Once he rode a raft down the white water rapids of the Bighorn River. One time he was shot by Indians and an arrow head was lodged in his bone. It was there for three years until he was operated on at a mountain man rendezvous. The doctor cut into his skin and dug out the arrow head. Bridger did it without any pain killer and he never yelled out in pain.

In his lifetime he guided many expeditions. Jim Bridger explored Wyoming, Utah, California, Colorado and Oregon. He built Fort Bridger in Wyoming. He also found a mountain pass which is now called Bridger Pass.

Jim Bridger was a very important man and if you want to learn more about him click here.
 

We got our information from:
Mountain Men by Rich Steber
World Book Encyclopedia, Vol B, page 606.
and from this Internet article.