Personal Essays
Remembrance and Memorials
A Remembrance of Achievement
Jim Bridger was a mountain man, similar to the image popularized in the movie, Jeremiah Johnson. He was described by his biographer, General Grenville Dodge, as “a very companionable man, over six feet tall, spare, straight as an arrow, agile, rawboned and of powerful frame, eyes gray, hair brown and abundant even in old age, expression mild and manners agreeable.” His achievements are too many to list in full on this monument. He started at the age of 18 as a trapper in the unexplored West, but in his full life of 77 years he was also a trader, guide, merchant, Indian interpreter and army officer. It is reported that he spoke Spanish, French and several Native American dialects as well as sign language. He was renown for telling tall tales and his sense of humor. His purposeful life definitely left its mark on the history of the country.
I have always been in awe of my ancestors that walked across the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains, enduring hardships I can’t even truly imagine, seeking new opportunities for their families. Sometimes it is hard to believe that I, in my soft, sedentary and in comparison, luxurious life could be descended from such hardy, adventurous risk takers. When I visit Jim Bridger’s grave and monument I pause to remember what it took for my family to set out from England on a boat to an unknown continent and then in later generations, to cross that continent on foot, the women carrying babes in arms born along the trail, the men driving oxen pulling wagons loaded with their worldly goods and the children tagging along unaware of the momentousness of their adventure. I am afraid I have not lived up to the example they have left for me to follow.
Jim Bridger was a mountain man, similar to the image popularized in the movie, Jeremiah Johnson. He was described by his biographer, General Grenville Dodge, as “a very companionable man, over six feet tall, spare, straight as an arrow, agile, rawboned and of powerful frame, eyes gray, hair brown and abundant even in old age, expression mild and manners agreeable.” His achievements are too many to list in full on this monument. He started at the age of 18 as a trapper in the unexplored West, but in his full life of 77 years he was also a trader, guide, merchant, Indian interpreter and army officer. It is reported that he spoke Spanish, French and several Native American dialects as well as sign language. He was renown for telling tall tales and his sense of humor. His purposeful life definitely left its mark on the history of the country.
I have always been in awe of my ancestors that walked across the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains, enduring hardships I can’t even truly imagine, seeking new opportunities for their families. Sometimes it is hard to believe that I, in my soft, sedentary and in comparison, luxurious life could be descended from such hardy, adventurous risk takers. When I visit Jim Bridger’s grave and monument I pause to remember what it took for my family to set out from England on a boat to an unknown continent and then in later generations, to cross that continent on foot, the women carrying babes in arms born along the trail, the men driving oxen pulling wagons loaded with their worldly goods and the children tagging along unaware of the momentousness of their adventure. I am afraid I have not lived up to the example they have left for me to follow.