Journal Of A Trapper: Nine Years in the Rocky Mountains 1834-1843 Paperback – December 14, 2016

What a treasure to have survived for publication. Such an interesting record of hunting, trapping and just surviving during the mountain man era.

This journal is just that, the journal of a trapper from the early 1800's. It's a bit rough to read at times as you are just reading his journal, very bland and basic at times, yet it clearly paints the picture of what it is like for a man to venture out into west to try his hand at being a mountain man. It's hard to rate this book because on the one hand it is not a great autobiography in the sense of being a great literary work, but it is truly fascinating to read the words of a trapper from that era, rather than a biographer telling you about him. Keep in mind, it is quite dry in many places, and the punctuation is a little more challenging. But it is worth it if you are interested in the daily life, both the mundane, less glamorous parts, as well as the challenges of what it would have been like for an ordinary mountain man to try his hand at it.

He tells the story of his own experience in the Rocky Mountains, especially around Yellowstone. This is authentic writing by someone who is not a writer, and probably self educated, but he writes well, especially around various stories. Much of the book is more of a day to day journal of where he’s going and what he’s doing throughout the year.

Osborne Russell was the real article: a respondent to Ashley's famous advertisement "to enterprising young men", Russell was one of the few who both survived and wrote about the experience. His life as a trapper was an enviable one, for he both survived and thrived in his nine years in the mountains, and those experiences stood him in good stead for the remainder of his life as a frontiersman in Oregon and California. However, his writings consist primarily of an uninspired travelogue: spend two weeks trapping on this creek, then three weeks on this other creek, then crossed the divide and descended this river to that fort, then spent two weeks trapping that river, etc. There are a few good yarns mixed in and he met many famous people, but you'll find more yarns, better told, and more insights, and better biography, in other books. If you've read a dozen good books about the mountain men, then you should add Russell to your list, but first you should read  A Majority of Scoundrels: An Informal History of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company , which is fantastic, and also  Across the Wide Missouri , equally so, even though they were both written by modern authors. If you want an eyewitness account, then your first stop should be  Tough Trip Through Paradise, 1878-1879 , one of the best books about a mountain man's life by anybody, from anywhen. You'll also want to check out  Mountain Men and Fur Traders of the Far West: Eighteen Biographical Sketches  to get some more background on some of these characters, and after that, you'll probably want to read more about the likes of Jed Smith, Jim Bridger, John Coulter and Hugh Glass (who came closer than any other man to getting et by a grizzly without actually dying) before you turn to the relatively humdrum life of Osborne Russell. So, to sum it up, I'd trade moccasins with Osborne any day, but there are better tales in store from other mountain men.

I really enjoyed reading this Journal of a trapper in the 1st half of the 1800's. The journal gave an interesting account of the writer's encounter with the Indians out West when they first had contact with the white people coming West. Beautiful description on the West as it once was from someone who saw it first hand.It was a short read, but nonetheless a very interesting accounting of that 10 year period. I enjoyed the read.

I'm an avid reader of Western history and particularly books about the Mountain Men and the trapping industry. This book is in journal format and is well written, however, it's heavy on the geography of area traveled (which was a LOT of country!). I was hoping for more details on trapping, the rendezvous, Indian encounters (there were a few on this, but not much detail) and encounters with griz, wolves and buffalo. There were parts that talked about these areas, but not in enough detail to satisfy me. Nonetheless, it's an OK book, but just didn't meet my personal expectations. If you had an old map of the area and could trace the travels, I'm sure it would raise the interest level.

This is a true writing of what the West was like in the days of the Mountain Men. It is a diary of what one Mountain Man experienced and saw. He shares his amazement at things like endless herds of buffalo and seeing what is now Yellowstone. Good book for adult, but even my teenage grandkids find it an easy read and very interesting

Ha no one will read this but I’m going to type this anyway. The story is quite amazing, reading the diary of someone who lived a life in a simpler and much more brutal and difficult time. The sentence construction consistently reminds me of how much my education has failed me, and how it continues to further fail those who will come after.

The trappers where adventures they went into the wilderness with all its dangers and managed to make a living. It’s a day by day diary of their adventures. I really enjoyed this book and would strongly recommend it. For anyone with a sense of adventure in their hearts.

Todavía no puedo opinar con base, pero si puedo decir que es una historia contada por un trampero genuino de 1840's y por tanto es una narración vivida y contada por el autor.

This book is a great tale of life on the frontier! I have found myself riveted. Standing alone, on the mountain steep or sitting by a smoky fire. Adventure comes to life in the veins. Renewed sense of the history of a place... this book will inspire adventurer and historian alike.

they were a tough breed of men the kind we do not see today4 stars and eye opening read

I tried to follow his path using google earth ,how tough these blokes were, If i could i would like to see these lands as they now are.A recommended historical read