Curated OER
Heading West
Students study the concept of the westward expansion. In this exploration of the western U.S. lesson, students participate in different activities that explain economic hardships, jobs, and land opportunities. Students describe...
Curated OER
Trailblazers- Now and Then
Students examine and study the routes of trailblazers. In this American history lesson plan, students find a route on a map and compare that to the route of trailblazers. Students will then compare that map with a topographical map to...
Curated OER
Mountain Man Measurement Activity
Fourth graders discover the history of the Utah Mountain Men and utilize their math skills simultaneously. In this cross-curricular history and measurement lesson, 4th graders read about the Utah Mountain Men and the challenges they...
Curated OER
Mountain Men Crossword
In this crossword puzzle worksheet, students read the clues related to the mountain men of the American West. Students complete the 10-question puzzle.
Curated OER
Mountain Men
In this history learning exercise, students read a one page article about life on the Oregon trail and the fur traders and mountain men. Students then answer 4 essay questions.
Curated OER
Mountain Man Clothing
Students examine what mountain men wore, and what the clothing looked like. They determine what the special features and purposes had to been included in the clothing. They examine the shirts, breeches, hats, and gloves that were...
Curated OER
Mountain Men
Students explore sites that have information about mountain men who helped developed the old West and explore their lives, adventures, and fur trading.
Curated OER
Mountain Men Puzzle
In this word search learning exercise, learners search and find vocabulary
words as they relate to mountain men. Words may be located forward,
backward, up, down, and diagonally.
Other
Utah History to Go: Traders, Trappers, and Mountain Men
Utah History to Go is an online course divided into eight chapters. This is one section of the third chapter that looks at the different groups of traders in Utah in the 1800s, and the types of goods they traded. It also describes the...
PBS
The West: William Bent (1809 1869)
From PBS New Perspectives on the West comes this biography on William Bent that discusses his life as a trader at Bent's Fort in Colorado in the early 1800s.
Other
The Bridger Trail: Biography of Jim Bridger
Read about Jim Bridger's exploits as fur trader, mountain man, entrepreneur, and military guide. His knowledge of the Rocky Mountains was invaluable. (From Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office)
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Harcourt: Biographies: James Beckwourth 1798 1867
Learn about the exciting adventures of mountain man James Beckwourth as he explored the Western wilderness.
Other
American Mountain Men: Mountain Men and the Fur Trade
On-line research center features numerous resources dedicated to the history of the Mountain Men in the American West. This project includes primary sources, images, maps, artwork, newspaper articles, artifacts, and links to related...
Utah Education Network
Uen: Utah History Encyclopedia: Jedediah S. Smith
This resource provides a biography about Jedediah Smith, centering primarily around his explorations of the West in the 19th century.
Library of Congress
Loc: Teachers: Journeys West
A series of lessons utilizing primary texts, including narratives, photographs, and maps, through which students explore the following question: "What motivated thousands of people to journey west during the 1800s?"
Digital History
Digital History: Mountain Men
The life of the fur trappers and traders was harsh, and fur, as a valuable commodity, was short-lived. Read about the effect the traders had on life in the West.
Other
Library of Western Fur Trade Historical Source Documents: Journal of John Work
Provides a diary of two and a half months of travels by John Work as he went from one fur trading post to another in the Pacific Northwest in the early 1800s.
Other
Triple Peak Lodging, Big Piney, Wyoming
Discover local history of the Green River Valley and Wyoming Range by scrolling through this site. Butch Cassidy, Chief Washakie, and others famous to the area are featured.
Other
Overland Trail: The Mountain Man Rendevous
Description of the rendevous or appointed places for fur hunters (Indian and white) to meet and trade before the establishment of trading posts.