The Museum of the Moutain Man, Pinedale, Wyoming

     On October 28, 2011 I had the wonderful opportunity to visit the Museum of the Mountain Man in Pinedale, Wyoming. The entire museum and its grounds are dedicated to the life of the mountain man, the Native Americans that assisted in the fur trade, and the time when the beavers in the Rocky Mountain Rivers were wearing dollar signs for pelts.  There is an indescribable feeling when one looks at the actual tools that were used during this time. Just hearing that one had to carry his existence on his back does not do the fact justice the way that seeing the actual pack loaded with tools and traps does.

     The museum is covered in wild animal mounts; elk are proudly mounted on the walls while a full body mounts of a bear and a mountain lion grace the floors. There are beautiful samples of Indian beaded jackets, shoes, and pants. Traps that were oiled, baited, and set by the men hunting the thick coated beavers are on display; these traps were so well taken care of that few of them carry traces of rust. A full sized tepee and a replica camp are set up for the visitor to enjoy along with a canoe that traveled the water routes of its captain over one hundred years ago.

     It was an amazing experience to visit the Museum of the Mountain Man. To be able to see real artifacts from the time period and to be surrounded with a taste of some of the sights and sounds that would have made up a mountain man’s everyday was a tactile experience that does not translate well to text but was well worth the trip.[1]

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[1] "Mountain man museum," Pinedale, Wyoming, October 28, 2011.