Showdown With The Arikara

By John J. Law

The events that would lead to the showdown of mountain men vs the Arikara tribe actually began in May of 1823, in South Dakota. It was here in the vast expanse of prairie land that extended as far as the eye could see in all directions that a motley crew contingent of men and animals traversed. The contingent was definitely a strange and colorful lot. They were composed of pack mules and horses that wearily carried the men and their supplies on their backs. The men themselves looked in every direction and kept their eyes and ears alert for even the slightest hint of a threat. The whole landscape seemed peaceful and even idyllic but these hardy men knew better. 
They were mountain men.
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: J.C. Hulsey Books
• Release date: Dec 6, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223079064

Book preview

Prelude

The events that would lead to the showdown of mountain men vs the Arikara tribe actually began in May of 1823, in South Dakota. It was here in the vast expanse of prairie land that extended as far as the eye could see in all directions that a motley crew contingent of men and animals traversed. The contingent was definitely a strange and colorful lot. They were composed of pack mules and horses that wearily carried the men and their supplies on their backs. The men themselves looked in every direction and kept their eyes and ears alert for even the slightest hint of a threat. The whole landscape seemed peaceful and even idyllic but these hardy men knew better. They were mountain men, and they knew that danger could lurk in any corner out here. They were especially vulnerable considering how vast and open the land was. They were exposed to the elements or a hostile tribe, and they knew that danger was always only a heartbeat away.

These men were hundreds of miles away from civilization and in a strange and still generally unknown territory. The men themselves came from different backgrounds as varied as the clothes they wore. Some men were dressed in wool shirts, others wore buckskin leggings or moccasins, and still others wore clothes fashioned from skins or furs from other animals.

One might say that the only thing that kept these men together was the single purpose of making money. Making a profit to survive was the one thing that drove these men to soldier on in such a harsh environment. How they made money was brutally simple and unique only for that period of time. The men specialized in general hunting, but mainly in hunting and trapping beavers. The beaver pelts were the coveted material to make the fashionable top hats that just about everyone wore in more civilized places like New York, Paris and London. The animals were also collected for their meat and for castoreum, was a natural oil that the animals secreted used in food flavoring and perfume. These various uses only made the poor creatures all the more valuable for such men.

The means of procuring the beavers were brutally simple. The men would place traps all over an area and ensnare the poor creatures. Once an area had been cleared of beavers, the men would move on.

The means were brutally simple, but that did not make their job any easier. The trappers faced various hazards in their work. Weather could be blazing hot, or icy cold. They faced other wild and dangerous animals like cougars, wolves, snakes or grizzly bears. They also often faced hostile Indian tribes that considered their presence a violation of their own hunting grounds. Being a mountain man was anything but easy.

It was in this particular band of mountain men, that Jedediah Smith was with. Jed Smith was still young back then, but his star was already rising, and