D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A • FA L L 2 0 1 6
32
By the mid-1800s, trappers and traders
called mountain men were explorin
,
the
Yellowstone region in search of beaver
and other animals for their pricey pelts.
Perhaps the best-known mountain
man was JIM BRIDGER. He was
amazed by the wonders of the area
and would tell many stories of his
adventures.
The funny thing about Jim
,
s tall
tales is that no matter how crazy
they sounded, there was always
a nugget of truth to them.
He told wild stories to explain
the amazin
,
wilderness he
,
d seen.
Exagerration was the best way
to get people to understand the
greatness of Yellowstone.
And while he told tall tales,
other people started tellin
,
tall tales about Jim
,
s tall
tales! It gets pretty confusin
,
,
trying to sort out which
stories Bridger told and
which were told about him!
Kinda seems like he wanted
it that way...
One classic Jim Bridger tale was called...
WRITTEN AND ILLUSTRATED BY ROBERT RATH
Excerpted and Revised from
Hot Legends and Cool Myths
It starts with Jim
tryin
,
to find a new
trail through mountains
more rugged than
grizzly teeth.
,
Cept at that moment,
the only thing he was
really looking for
was somethin
,
to eat
with his own teeth!
Yellowstone can be
hard on a man
,
s belly...
...then sometimes it can
serve up a meal like you
were at a fancy restuarant!
There he was,
a big ol
,
bull elk!
Just standin
,
there,
waitin
,
to be dinner!
Now, Jim was a pretty
good shot, but this time
he really didn
,
t want to
miss his supper.
He took careful aim
with his trusty rifle
and pulled the trigger.
That Hawken
belched smoke and
fire and threw a
lead ball dead-on
towards that elk.
And nothin
,
happened!
That walking hat rack just
stood there, not even
caring
it was
supposed to be dead!
THE GLASS MOUNTAIN
k
b
o
o
M
!
