The Explorers Podcast Jim Bridger - Part 3 - Go West!
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Aug 12, 2025 Discover the tumultuous 1840s as settlers, miners, and Mormons pour into the American West. Follow Jim Bridger as he adapts to the shifting landscape, grappling with nostalgia for the fur trade's decline. Learn about his establishment of a trading post on the Continental Divide amid rising tensions and the infamous troubles of the Donner Party. Experience Bridger's personal tragedies, including the loss of his daughter, and see how the gold rush forever changed his legacy as a guide in this era of expansion.
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Fur Trade Collapse Forced Reinvention
- The beaver pelt trade collapsed in the 1840s due to overhunting and changing fashion, forcing mountain men to diversify.
- Bridger shifted to trading posts, guiding, and other ventures to survive the changing economy.
Partner Killed After Trading Run
- Bridger and Henry Freib set up Fort Bridger, sold pelts in Los Angeles, and bought horses and supplies to return west.
- Freib was later killed in 1841 in a Sioux attack, prompting Bridger to abandon the outpost temporarily.
Fort Bridger Became A Trail Hub
- Fort Bridger moved in 1843 to a grassy lowland on the Green River and became a key supply point on the emigrant trails.
- Its facilities included log houses, a blacksmith shop, and corrals essential for wagon trains.
