Best Non Fiction Mountain Man Books

[long hunter]

40 Years in the life of a hunter, it's about MESACH BROWNING. Factual read of an Appalachian hunter. I have hunted a lot of the areas he references.

 

[HighUintas]

Going to repeat a couple and add a couple:

Undaunted courage by Stephen Ambrose
Journal of a Trapper by Osbourne Russell
John Colter by Burton Harris

Joe Meek by Stanley Vestal
Jedidiah Smith by Dale Morgan
Jim Beckwourth by Elinor Wilson
My Sixty Years on the Plains by William t Hamilton
Death Valley in '49 by William Lewis Manly (this one is about a guy who went west in 49 with a train and had an adventure, it's not about trapping but truly is one of the best books I've read)

 

[cbat]

The Legend of Ben Lily. Dude was one tough sucker. Ran mostly through the Gila Country in New Mexico but Arizona and Mexico too.

 

[Afhunter1]

40 Years in the life of a hunter, it's about MESACH BROWNING. Factual read of an Appalachian hunter. I have hunted a lot of the areas he references.

This is a good book. I as well hunt some of his old stomping grounds. I can’t imagine the level of game that was back in those days. It had to be astounding.

 

[matthewmt]

Rangers, trappers and trail blazers.
Stories from the bob Marshall

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[Oilfieldmiller]

Crow killer was good. True story of Jeremiah Johnson.
I also second Alaska's Wolfman. Favorite book of all time.

Crow Killer was a great read. Grew up wanting to be a mountain man and this book put a whole new perspective on that type of life.


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[Hill Difficulty]

Into Thin Air ~Jon Krakauer
It's about a mountain and men, and it's non-fiction.

Can also add my thumbs up for Undaunted Courage (Ambrose).

 

[Crusader]

If you want a really crazy mountain man story you never hear of pick up a book called:

"Soldiers and Traveler: Memoirs of Alexander Gardner"

It is the accounts of Alex Gardner who was born in Wisconsin and was one of the first westerners to travel through Afghanistan and Pakistan in the early 1800s. He was a mercenary and worked for a number of tribal chieftains and warlords. He has some pretty harrowing accounts of being hunted in high passes and fighting in brutal tribal feuds. Eventually he made his way to the Punjab and worked for the Sikh Khalsa army and was part of the civil war and crazy intrigue and assassinations that happened after Runjeet Singh died. He is hands down one of the most interesting historical figures that have gone under the radar by most mainstream sources.


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Here is the amazon link as the book is pretty hard to find.

Amazon.com

Are you sure that photo is authentic? Looks like the dude might be wearing Nike soccer shoes, LOL

 

[Wizbang]

Wilderness Tales and Trails by Wayne Negus

A Man to Match the Mountains by Wayne Negus

The authors was my Grandfather. They chronicle his time trapping mostly here in the Oregon cascades in the early 1900’s


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[CCooper]

Alaska's Wolf Man, the story of Frank Glaser by Jim Rearden.
Unbelievable read about one of the toughest men ever to lace 'em up.

The best book I have read in sometime. I bought copies for my hunting buddies last Christmas. All enjoyed.

 

[Boch5473]

Frontersman by Allen Eckhart about the life of Simon Kenton . This is just one of 5 or 6 in a series he wrote. Very much worth reading.

 

[ozyclint]

Not of the mountains but of the same spirit of adventure and extreme remote travel.

Arabian Sands by Wilfred Thesiger.

It details his travels on foot and on camel through the Empty Quarter of Saudi Arabia with Bedu tribemans before the oil industry changed the region.

Here's some excerpts from youtube-

 

[Jbogg]

Frontersman by Allen Eckhart about the life of Simon Kenton . This is just one of 5 or 6 in a series he wrote. Very much worth reading.

Thanks for sharing. I just finished Boone by Robert Morgan, and was wanting to know more about Simon Kenton. It sounded like he saved Boone’s bacon more than once.

 

[lifeisgoodsteve]

Fur, Fortune, and Empire - Eric Jay Dolin

I listened to the audiobook and it was a great, entertaining history of the fur trade, which naturally brings in all the elements of it. Some other books were like a school text book but I really enjoyed listening to this, plus it was super informative about all the dynamics involved.

Worth the listen or read !

 

[30338]

Bump up for more winter reading ideas. Read "My 60 Years on the Plains". Enjoyed it a lot.

 

[dr.mooseknuckles]

Historical fiction but the Berrybender Chronicles by Larry McMurtry are great! Almost finished with the 2nd book in a series of four. Starts in 1833. Many historic figures present.

 

[Scorpion]

Journal of a Trapper is fantastic, if you’ve spent anytime around the Yellowstone Country and the adjacent areas in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming you’ll love it.

Fur, Fortune, and Empire is another excellent book. It is lengthy audiobook and doesn’t even get to the “mountain man” era of history until 2/3 or so through the book. I learned more about the history of the North American fur trade from that book than anything.

 

[Muddler]

Alone in the Wilderness. Story of Dick Proenneke, who built a cabin by hand in Alaska. PBS used to run the movie from time to time. One of my favorite books.

 

[KNOPHISH]

Men, Mules and Mountains. Kinda like the Lewis and Clark of the Olympic mountains.

 

[Jbogg]

I ordered Alaska’s Wolf Man based on the many recommendations on this thread. Good stuff!