8 Tons of Granite - Jim Bridger's Grave

Orphaned at age 13, one of "Ashley's 100" brigade of famous mountain men trappers, founder of Fort Bridger, illiterate, and blind at the time of his death, Jim Bridger was larger than life. But do you know where this famous mountain man is buried? OCTA's Association Manager, Travis Boley, will show you in this week's compelling video episode. Learn more about Bridger's life in the Kansas City area and visit his gravesite in Mt. Washington Cemetery.
Discover your Trail - learn more about Historic Emigrant Trails by visiting octa-trails.org/ and subscribing to the OCTA KZbin Channel / @octatrails
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[@wymanwhite6460]

I was under the impression that Robert Stuart of John Jacob Astor's American Fur Company founded South Pass. Read Across The Great Divide by L. McCartney.😊

[@GaryAshleycrashsmashley]

I'm a descendant of Joseph D Lewis 1805-1889. He worked with Jim Bridger during the G.K Warner survey, but there is not a lot of information, Joseph, but it been claimed that he taught Jim Bridger the trade.

[@octatrails]

Thanks for that comment!

[@daveeverett897]

Thanks for the. wonderful information

[@pieterjansen6701]

Lots of useful information ✅, but Travis speaks too fast (for my ears 🙂), making it difficult to process and understand all this information. My suggestion for a video would be one showing the Trails related sites in and around Independence (MO).

[@octatrails]

This link should take you to all of the Independence area videos we've done thus far. Look to the right of the featured video and you should see a list that says "Trailhead stories" kzbin.info/www/bejne/j6KzfmCejKeih5o

[@LScofield1]

Jim Bridger is not responsible for the tragedy of the Reed-Donner party in any way. The party was weeks late getting to Fort Bridger ... and Bridger himself advised them it was too late in the year to continue. He suggested they winter at the fort and resume their journey the next spring. They ignored his advice ... and to make matters worse, they continued to travel slowly due to large, overloaded wagons. They kicked James Reed out of the party in the mountains and Reed made it through the pass in one day on horseback. That's how close they were to making it through, however, Donner chose to rest for five days just miles from the pass around Christmas. The two previous years, 1844 and 1845, were low snow years, but 1846 was one of those big snow years. The Donners were hit with an 8 inch snow the day they attempted the pass and had to turn back. It kept snowing and after a couple of days 8 feet of snow prevented any further attempts. The survivors were finally rescued the following spring.

[@gpedrok]

Who's going to do the video about James Clyman, that was with all these mountain men and wrote all these stories?

[@octatrails]

Well, that is a wonderful suggestion. We have a couple of experts in mind that might be willing to do that. Thanks for commenting and supporting OCTA

[@gpedrok]

@@octatrails My ancesters, the McCombs family from Indiana induced Clyman to guide them to California in 1848 and became the 1st wagons over Carson Pass after meeting the 1st Morman Battalion and learning of the gold discovery in Coloma. Clyman ended up marrying Hannah McCombs, 30 years younger than himself, after arriving in Napa when her father died a year after arriving in CA. Lambert McCombs and James Clyman were both 57, when they met in St.Joseph to begin this adventure. Lots more to tell and his last diary if ever found should have many personal stories with Hannah, I feel :)

[@octatrails]

@@gpedrok Hi Pedro, I have arranged an interpreter to film the story of Clyman, but it will take place in a few months from now. Are you an OCTA Member?

[@gpedrok]

@@octatrails yes off and on since abou t 1983, currently developing 3D models of various trail sections for new displays at the California Trail Interpretive Center in Elko, NV with Thomas Valencia, just finished 1st set of models showing parting of ways for the Truckee and Carson Routes around Lake Tahoe, where I live. Fifteen 5x6 1/2 panels hand painted each 12-15 hour prints, you have to see this.

[@raildawg8338]

Great work! You have a good voice for this. Chuck

[@octatrails]

Thank you so much, Chuck!