Jim Bridger's Original Rifle

Beaver fur Top Hats were once the fashion choice of gentlemen in the 1800's. Beaver trapping and fur trading fueled western expansion and developed the trails later trod by Oregon California Trail emigrants across Wyoming.
Journey to Pinedale, WY and hear Clint Gilchrist, Executive Director of the Museum of the Mountain Man tell us about this period in history and tour us through the Museum to see artifacts including Jim Bridger's rifle that was given to him by Louis Vasquez
Discover your Trail. The Oregon-California Trails Association is the pre-eminent guardian and promoter of the inspirational story of the 19th century westward migration, which is unique in world history. Our mission is to protect the Historic Emigrant Trails legacy by promoting research, education, preservation activities and public awareness of the trails, and to work with others to promote these causes.
copyright 2022 All Rights Reserved Oregon California Trails Association

[@USAACbrat]

Raised in St. Louis, learned to fix boats in Portage De Sioux. Learned to swim the River at the Statue.

[@wolfmaan]

How many of us wanted to be mountain men as children. We set out along the Oregon trail and died of dysentery.

[@luke_skywanker7643]

I'll bet you remember the movie "Jeremiah Johnson." I went to see it when it came out in 1972. It wasn't too far off from the life I was living on a wooded farm in a rural part of Pennsylvania. It was hunting, fishing, and I even ran a trap-line. No beaver (even the two-legged kind) but plenty of muskrats, raccoons and the occasional fox. The movie got me into black powder shooting, though. I bought a flintlock Hawken .50 cal. (a used, Thompson Center) that I still have to this day. I have no idea of how many original and replica flintlock pistols I have but two of my favorite long guns are a flintlock blunderbuss and a TVLLE fusil de chasse in .70 caliber. I spent the last of my 'working years' as a Magistrate Judge and usually had a big-bore (.75 caliber) flintlock pistol as my "bench gun." Never had to use it, though. The police and bailiffs used to get a laugh out of it, though.

[@odelloutdoors3424]

Great video. Thanks. I’ll have to make a trip out there to visit the museum sometime

[@EricRush]

A friend of mine collects Sharps rifles. He has Jim Baker's, special-order Sharps and the the paperwork to prove it. Baker's cabin is on display at the museum in Savery, Wyoming.

[@rustyg5521]

Thanks again OCTA for a great presentation.

[@octatrails]

Glad you enjoy them

[@doowael]

Awesome! Thank you!!

[@octatrails]

Agree!

[@mauricesmith4270]

Great job thanks

[@octatrails]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@gumecindogarcia1070]

There's an old museum in Kansas, incredible plains history. They have uniforms and medal of honor received by the locals

[@loquat44-40]

Lock work, caliber, who made it, length, did it have set triggers, was intended for patched round balls etc. I had to fast forward to actually hear something about the rifle.

[@octatrails]

museumofthemountainman.com/jim-bridgers-rifle/

[@rayschoch5882]

Since rifles in those days were often hand-made, it would have been useful / informative if the narrator had told us where the rifle was made and/or who made it. Is it a "Plains Rifle" from the Hawken Bros. in St. Louis?

[@octatrails]

Hi Ray, Clint Gilchrist provided this link from the Museum of the Mountain Man with lots of great detail. museumofthemountainman.com/jim-bridgers-rifle/

[@paulmentzer7658]

I heard other places Bridger had been appreciated to a gunsmith, not just a blacksmith. In that period many blacksmith did work on firearms as while as other metal tools. Just a comment Bridger might have made the gun himself.

[@paulmentzer7658]

This rifle appears to have been made in New York State as a gift to Bridger but it appears Bridger had the training to repair it and modify it if he wanted to.

[@wolfmaan]

It carries a pewter fore-end cap, brass trim, “plains” style trigger guard, H.T. Cooper back-action lock, and hickory ramrod. The rifle’s walnut stock is decorated with inlain eagles, the left eagle engraved, “J. Bridger 1853.” An unusual feature is that its stock was built with two cheekpieces. Riflemaker W. Ogden of Owego, New York stamped his name on the barrel. It weighs eleven pounds and its overall length is 49-1/2 inches.

[@rayschoch5882]

@@wolfmaan This is overkill, but thanks, nonetheless. "Riflemaker W. Ogden of Owego, New York…" would have been sufficient.

[@hardasnails11b]

Our roads and highways for the most part were originally game trails. Critters not indians determined them. Your welcome.

[@octatrails]

It was a combination of the two.

[@scholasticaltactical9058]

Can you talk a little bit about the Kentucky rifle and some of the replacements that would come later.

[@michaelford2517]

I would’ve thought that Jim Bridgers rifle would’ve been a flintlock.

[@dunbar555]

not in 1853 anymore.. up to the 40's, certainly

[@TheSnoopindaweb]

🤔🤨💭➡ ~ "Hat's off to old Jim Bridger" 🎼🎶🎵🎩🎩🎩 ↔ by Johnnie Horton ☺🤗😃😁🤠💯‼

[@octatrails]

Thanks. Taking a poll. Are you subscribed to the OCTA KZbin Channel?

[@gerardfenn3988]

@octatrails Hey Clint. I subbed up about 3 weeks ago. OCTA gives me a great perspective of the early settlers in the West. I don't know why this appeals to me? Perhaps I would like to travel back in time to experience the hardships those Pioneers experienced. Just the thought of walking 2000+ miles to Oregon makes my back ache. That Homestead Act would have surely lit a fire under my butt to go on out and claim my piece of the American Dream. I both envy and feel sorry for the Immigrants for what they went through. As long as I did not travel with the Donner Party.🤑

[@joshgrove1042]

So who made the rifle?

[@octatrails]

Clint Gilchrist provided this link from the Museum of the Mountain Man with lots of great detail. museumofthemountainman.com/jim-bridgers-rifle/

[@joshgrove1042]

@Oregon-California Trails Association So do you think the Hawkens put it together with a barrel from NY and a cooper lock? Or did the whole thing come from NY?

[@octatrails]

From Clint Gilchrist Although similar to Hawkins, they never used back action locks and always marked their guns. It is likely all from NY assembled by Ogden.

[@joshgrove1042]

@@octatrails thanks!

[@AldoSchmedack]

Caliber?

[@octatrails]

museumofthemountainman.com/jim-bridgers-rifle/

[@PhillipEstep]

The rifle is a hawken

[@octatrails]

Thanks for the observation and comment!

[@maxvauderk816]

Background noise

[@octatrails]

Unfortunately - this was earlier in our production learning curve. New wireless microphones have resolved that. Thanks for the comment