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40-631: The Oregon Short Line Railway was organized on April 14, 1881. The line started from the Union Pacific main line in Granger, Wyoming , and reached Montpelier , Idaho, on August 5, 1882, and then to McCammon , Idaho, in the Fall of 1882. Between McCammon and Pocatello , Idaho, the line was shared with fellow Union Pacific subsidiary Utah & Northern's grade by adding a third rail to the 3 ft ( 914 mm ) narrow gauge track to accommodate

80-621: A company man was almost militarized. The men had mess groups, hunted and trapped in brigades , and always reported to the head of the trapping party. This man was called a "boosway", a bastardization of the French term bourgeois . He was the leader of the brigade and the head trader. Donald Mackenzie , representing the North West Company , held a rendezvous in the Boise River Valley in 1819. The rendezvous system

120-593: A process that U&N had started as early as 1885. On October 13, 1893, the OSL&;UN went into receivership with the rest of the Union Pacific holdings. The Oregon Short Line Railroad was incorporated in February 1897 and purchased the property of the OSL&UN later that month. On March 15, the OSL took possession of the line and started operating. The OSL was independent for a short period of time until October 1898 when

160-487: A stopover in 1861-62. Later, in 1868, it became a stop on the railroad, which was when it started to be called Granger. The area of what is present-day Granger had significance to the mountain men who trapped in the early years of the American West. It was chosen as the site of their annual rendezvous in 1834 (the rendezvous was still somewhat spread out, as each supplier set up camp at different location along

200-551: A trickle of settlers in 1841 to a steady stream in 1844–46 and then became a flood as the highly organized Mormon migration exploited the road to the Great Salt Lake discovered by mountain man Jim Bridger in 1847–48. The migration would explode in 1849's " The Forty-Niners " in response to the discovery of gold in California in 1848. The life of a mountain man was rugged, and many did not last more than several years in

240-496: Is an explorer who lives in the wilderness and makes his living from hunting and trapping . Mountain men were most common in the North American Rocky Mountains from about 1810 through to the 1880s (with a peak population in the early 1840s). They were instrumental in opening up the various emigrant trails (widened into wagon roads) allowing Americans in the east to settle the new territories of

280-529: Is today New Mexico . This trade attracted numerous French Americans from Louisiana and some French Canadian trappers, in addition to Anglo-Americans. Some New Mexican residents also pursued the beaver trade, as Mexican citizens initially had some legal advantages. Trappers and traders in the Southwest covered territory that was generally inaccessible to the large fur companies. It included parts of New Mexico, Nevada, California and central and southern Utah. After

320-598: The 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ( 1,435 mm ) standard gauge cars. The line from Pocatello to Huntington, Oregon, was completed in late 1884. Access to Portland , Oregon, was on track leased from the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company . The line was essential because the Union Pacific main line ended in Utah where it met the Central Pacific Railroad , which by that time

360-698: The American Fur Company owned by John Jacob Astor , entered the field. The annual rendezvous was often held at Horse Creek on the Green River , now called the Upper Green River Rendezvous Site , near present-day Pinedale, Wyoming . Another popular site in the same general area was Pierre's Hole . By the mid-1830s, it attracted 450 to 500 men annually: essentially all the American trappers and traders working in

400-661: The Lewis and Clark Expedition findings about the Rockies and the Oregon Country where they flourished economically for over three decades. By the time two new international treaties in early 1846 and early 1848 officially settled new western coastal territories in the United States and spurred a large upsurge in migration, the days of mountain men making a good living by fur trapping had largely ended. The fur industry

440-484: The United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 2.53 square miles (6.55 km ), all land. As of the census of 2010, there were 139 people, 57 households, and 38 families living in the town. The population density was 54.9 inhabitants per square mile (21.2/km ). There were 72 housing units at an average density of 28.5 per square mile (11.0/km ). The racial makeup of the town

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480-490: The far west by organized wagon trains traveling over roads explored and in many cases, physically improved by the mountain men and the big fur companies, originally to serve the mule train -based inland fur trade . Mountain men arose in a geographic and economic expansion that was driven by the lucrative earnings available in the North American fur trade , in the wake of the various 1806–1807 published accounts of

520-854: The American Fur Company and the Rocky Mountain Fur Company were in ruins. By 1846, only some 50 American trappers still worked in the Snake River country, compared to 500 to 600 in 1826. Soon after the strategic victory by the HBC, the Snake River route was used by emigrants as the Oregon Trail, which brought a new form of competition. Former trappers earned money as guides or hunters for the emigrant parties. A second fur trading and supply center grew up in Taos in what

560-474: The HBC forced American trappers to remain in the Rocky Mountains, which gave rise to the term "mountain men". Mountain men were instrumental in opening up the various emigrant trails (widened into wagon roads) allowing Americans in the east to settle the new territories of the far west by organized wagon trains traveling over roads explored and in many cases, physically improved by the mountain men and

600-632: The Hams Fork rivers. The geography of the area is flat with semi-arid scrub. Although the population has always been small, the site is located at the intersection of the Oregon Trail and the Overland Stage Trail and it was chosen for a stage coach station. The station, which was built of stone and adobe in 1856, was in operation when Mark Twain passed through, and still stands today. The Pony Express used this station as

640-616: The Idaho-Oregon border. In 1889, the Oregon Short Line Railway merged with Utah & Northern Railway and 6 other smaller railroads to form the Oregon Short Line and Utah Northern Railway . In 1890 the company finished converting the original Utah & Northern line from 3 ft ( 914 mm ) narrow gauge to 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ( 1,435 mm ) standard gauge ,

680-605: The Oregon Short Line. The railroad operated under the lease until December 30, 1987, when the OSL was fully merged into the Union Pacific Railroad. Granger, Wyoming Granger is a town along Blacks Fork near the western edge of Sweetwater County , Wyoming , United States. The population was 139 at the 2010 census . It is located near the confluence of the Blacks Fork and

720-654: The Rockies as well as numerous Native Americans. After achieving an American monopoly by 1830, Astor got out of the fur business before its decline. In the late 1830s, the Canadian-based Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) instituted several policies to undercut the American fur trade. During the same years, fashion in Europe shifted away from the formerly popular beaver hats; at the same time, the animal had become over-hunted. The HBC's annual Snake River Expedition

760-518: The Rocky Mountains, especially in the upper Snake River country. After the HBC took over operations in the Pacific Northwest in 1821, American fur traders in the Snake River country quickly went out business and moved on. This halted American expansion into the region. After 1825, few American trappers worked west of the Rocky Mountains, and those who did generally found it unprofitable. According to historian Richard Mackie, this policy of

800-419: The age of 18 living with them, 68.5% were married couples living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were non-families. 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.18. In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.8% under

840-462: The age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 18.5% from 25 to 44, 33.6% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 116.7 males. The median income for a household in the town was $ 46,563, and the median income for a family was $ 52,083. Males had a median income of $ 45,750 versus $ 19,375 for females. The per capita income for

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880-476: The big fur companies originally to serve the mule train based inland fur trade. By the time two new international treaties in early 1846 and early 1848 officially settled new western coastal territories on the United States and spurred a large upsurge in migration, the days of mountain men making a good living by fur trapping had largely ended. The fur industry was failing because of over-trapping. Fortuitously, America's ongoing western migration by wagon trains with

920-665: The decline in beaver and the fur trade, with some emigrants to the West using the Mormon Trail , former trappers found work as guides and hunters for the traveling parties. After the short-lived Pacific Fur Company was liquidated , British-Canadian companies controlled the fur trade in the Pacific Northwest , first under the North West Company (NWC) and then the HBC. Both companies undertook numerous measures to prevent American fur traders from competing with them west of

960-417: The fur trade declined, mountain man Robert Newell told Jim Bridger : "[W]e are done with this life in the mountains—done with wading in beaver dams, and freezing or starving alternately—done with Indian trading and Indian fighting. The fur trade is dead in the Rocky Mountains, and it is no place for us now if ever it was." At the same time the great push west along the newly opened Oregon Trail built up from

1000-465: The gear they had earned. They might sell to the same company when the price was agreeable or convenient. Historical reenactment of the dress and lifestyle of a mountain man, sometimes known as buckskinning , allows people to recreate aspects of this historical period. Today's Rocky Mountain Rendezvous and other reenacted events are both history-oriented and social occasions. Some modern men choose

1040-491: The goal of claiming cheap lands in the west was building rapidly from a trickle of settlers from 1841's opening of the Oregon Trail to a flood of emigrants headed west by 1847–49 and thereafter well into the later 1880s. By the time the fur trade began to collapse in the 1840s, motivating them to change jobs, the trails they had explored and turned into reliable mule trails and improved gradually into wagon-capable freight roads combined to allow them to work as guides and scouts. As

1080-538: The men needed keen senses and knowledge of herbal remedies and first aid, among other skills. In summer, they could catch fish, build shelter, and hunt for food and skins. The mountain men dressed in suits made of deer skin that had stiffened after being left outdoors for a time, which gave them some protection against the weapons of particular enemies. There were no doctors in the regions where mountain men worked, and they had to set their own broken bones, tend their wounds, and nurse themselves back to health. A fur trapper

1120-406: The newly reformed Union Pacific Railroad took control of a majority of the board of directors. During the early part of the 20th century the railroad publicized tours of Yellowstone National Park by way of a spur constructed from Idaho Falls , Idaho, to West Yellowstone , Montana. In 1938, Union Pacific began consolidating operations and leased for operation a number of its subsidiaries including

1160-575: The remnant fur trade and the settlers heading west. Mountain men were most common in the North American Rocky Mountains from about 1810 through to the 1880s (with a peak population in the 1830s). About 3,000 of them ranged the mountains between 1820 and 1840, the peak beaver-harvesting period. John Colter's solo exploration of 1807-1808 made him one of the first Mountain men. While there were many free trappers , most mountain men were employed by major fur companies. The life of

1200-549: The river). The American Fur Company , among other suppliers, were present, and American Indians and trappers traded furs for goods. Several weeks were spent recounting events from the previous year and reveling in assorted amusements, while lubricated with liquor. The records show that the event occurred at the junction of the Hams Fork and Blacks Fork rivers. Granger is located at 41°35′39″N 109°58′0″W  /  41.59417°N 109.96667°W  / 41.59417; -109.96667 (41.594036, -109.966607). According to

1240-559: The town was $ 17,764. There were 10.5% of families and 12.3% of the population living below the poverty line , including 5.7% of under eighteens and 21.1% of those over 64. Public education in the town of Granger is provided by Sweetwater County School District #2 . Granger has a public library , a branch of the Sweetwater County Library System. [REDACTED] Media related to Granger, Wyoming at Wikimedia Commons Mountain men A mountain man

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1280-406: The town. The population density was 59.0 people per square mile (22.8/km ). There were 76 housing units at an average density of 30.7 per square mile (11.9/km ). The racial makeup of the town was 82.19% White , 8.22% from other races , and 9.59% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 22.60% of the population. There were 54 households, out of which 35.2% had children under

1320-402: The wilderness. They faced many hazards, especially when exploring unmapped areas: biting insects and other wildlife, bad weather, diseases of all kinds, injuries, and the opposition of Indigenous people, presented constant physical dangers. Grizzly bears were one of the mountain men's greatest enemies. Winters could be brutal, with heavy snowstorms and low temperatures. In order to stay alive,

1360-484: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.82. The median age in the town was 39.5 years. 25.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.8% were from 25 to 44; 38.1% were from 45 to 64; and 7.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 54.7% male and 45.3% female. As of the census of 2000, there were 146 people, 54 households, and 40 families living in

1400-531: Was 88.5% White , 0.7% African American , 9.4% from other races , and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.1% of the population. There were 57 households, of which 24.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples living together, 3.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 8.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.3% were non-families. 21.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.3% had someone living alone who

1440-428: Was a mountain man who, in today's terms, would be called a free agent. He was independent and traded his pelts to whoever would pay him the best price. That contrasts with a "company man", typically indebted to one fur company for the cost of his gear, who traded only with that company and was often under the direct command of company representatives. Some company men who paid off their debt could become free traders, using

1480-410: Was failing because of reduced demand and over trapping. With the rise of the silk trade and quick collapse of the North American beaver -based fur trade in the 1830s–1840s, many of the mountain men settled into jobs as Army scouts, wagon train guides or settled throughout the lands which they had helped open up. Others, like William Sublette , opened fort-trading posts along the Oregon Trail to serve

1520-685: Was later implemented by William Henry Ashley of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company , whose company representatives would haul supplies to specific mountain locations in the spring, engage in trading with trappers, and bring pelts back to communities on the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, like St. Louis , in the fall. Ashley sold his business to the outfit of Smith , Jackson , and Sublette . He continued to earn revenue by selling that firm their supplies. This system of rendezvous with trappers continued when other firms, particularly

1560-617: Was part of the Southern Pacific Railroad . The Southern Pacific had built tracks as far east as El Paso , Texas, and would, in 1883, become a transcontinental railroad in its own right. The Southern Pacific then started routing traffic to the southern line, cutting off the Union Pacific, which needed other access to the Pacific coast. The Oregon Short Line also was meant to halt the OR&;N's continued eastward expansion at

1600-432: Was transformed into a trading enterprise. Beginning in 1834, it visited the American rendezvous to buy furs at low prices. The HBC was able to offer manufactured trade goods at prices far below that with which American fur companies could compete. The last rendezvous was held in 1840, when the HBC, along with a decline in demand for and supply of beaver, had effectively put all American fur traders out of business. By 1841,

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