Mountain Men: The Dramatic History And Lore Of The First Frontiersmen

by George Laycock

To know how the West was really won, start with the exploits of these unsung mountain men who, like the legendary Jeremiah Johnson, were real buckskin survivalists. Preceded only by Lewis and Clark, beaver fur trappers roamed the river valleys and mountain ranges of the West, living on fish and game, fighting or trading with the Native Americans, and forever heading toward the untamed wilderness.

In this story of rough, heroic men and their worlds, Laycock weaves historical facts and practical instruction with profiles of individual trappers, including harrowing escapes, feats of supreme courage and endurance, and sometimes violent encounters with grizzly bears and Native Americans.

Genres: History, American History, Nonfiction, Westerns, Biography, Historical

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

George Edwin Laycock was born in Zanesville, Ohio and married Ellen M. VanAuken. Their children are: Elaine, Michael, and Steven. His loving Grandchildren are Chris, Brent, Rustin, Leslie, Kent and he has six loving Great-Grandchildren. He was in the United States army during world war II and received a B.S. from Ohio State University in 1947. His career began as associate editor of Farm Quarterly from 1947-1951. He did free-lance writing in 1951.

An accomplished photographer, he illustrated much of his own writing. His writings deal with animals and nature and he often contributed to Audubon, Field And Stream, Sports Afield, Boy's Life, and Exploring. George is remembered as a helpful mentor, to many inspired children who have PhDs today. He lived to be 92 years of age in Cincinnati, Ohio. His papers for ten of his books, including “Mysteries, Monsters, And Untold Secrets” (1978) are with the University Of Minnesota (CLRC-1659).

Reviews

[Little Timmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice basic but detailed entries on most of the famous Mountain Men. Good pics throughout and good sidebar info on mountain man tech and skills. Very nice intro history book for this subject. very recommended

[Stephen Branstetter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book.A good look at the adventurous men of that time.It was still kinda romanticized.I enjoyed the historical aspect of it.

[Steve Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an informative book about the first American trappers to explore the West, and include stories that informed a great deal of the myths of the West that arose in later Western literature.

Louis L’Amour apparently borrowed from the story about John Colter when he wrote his novel “Galloway“. Colter was stripped of his clothes by Indians, savagely beaten, and then told to run for his life. The Indians pursued him, and he allegedly killed one and escaped from the others. L’Amour’s character Flagan Sackett has a similar adventure.

And of course, the story about Hugh Glass and his encounter with a grizzly bear is found in the book. Who can forget the Academy Award winning film “The Revenant”? It earned Leonardo DiCaprio an Oscar.

Some of the stories are clearly spurious, and Laycock leaves out certain details about one hostile encounter with Native Americans that might well have been the fault of the trappers.

But overall, it was a fun book.

[Dr. Awkward · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit all over the place, but written in a very engaging way. Easy and fun to read, and a great survey of the topic if you have any interest in wilderness exploration and the early opening of the west.

[Jeff Sedlak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative book giving great detail into the lives of many different frontiersmen. Loved the detailed diagrams of how they made or did various things in their lives. The stores are intriguing and eye opening. A must read.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting how these men left the east to live like they did in the west and how fast the country changed.

[Allie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Educational and historical book on hunting, surviving and how the U.S. was explored.

[Jeanne Truesdell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great non fiction account of trappers in the early days of the West.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent peak into the lives of the mountain men. A fascinating time in US history with enigmatic characters. The author clearly did his research. I enjoyed the layout as well.

[Hunter Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of all of the best mountain man stories. Just reading this will put hair on your chest.

[Archivehermit]

Excelent reading for the historian!

[Cws]

J978Lay

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first Americans west of the Mississippi River were usually the fur trappers and traders. They blazed the way for the settlers of later years.

[David (Gavin) Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good - spanned the practicalities, touched on a half-dozen or so of the characters, talked some on the forces that opened and closed the era and made their lifestyle possible.

[Mike Capanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book . Gives a story about a lot of the different mountain men during the fur trade! Great read

[Craig Schlossin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Find out what it was like.

[Andrea Vanmiddendorp]

I found this book to be very interesting, entertaining and easy to read. I really enjoyed following the lives of the frontiersmen that shaped our west. The things they accomplished and endured amaze me. It is fun to recognize many of the names because today we know them as towns and cities, parks and rivers, etc.