Jim Bridger is one of the most influential figures in the history of the American West. A new biography by Jerry Enzler sheds light on key events from Bridger’s life, including the mountain man’s interactions with Brigham Young and his role (or lack thereof) in the Donner Party’s demise. Enzler even tries to tell truth from fiction by examining the legend of Hugh Glass and the bear recounted in The Revenant.
Winter Quarters played a key role in the pioneer exodus of the Latter-day Saints. As many as one thousand pioneers died during the settlement’s temporary existence. It was also there that Brigham Young received his only canonized revelation. In this interview, Richard Bennett, president of the Mormon Trail Center at Winter Quarters, discusses the history and legacy of Winter Quarters.
Few men are as important to the history of the American West as Jim Bridger and Brigham Young. Jerry Enzler reveals never-before-known details about their influential relationship drawn from his biography, Jim Bridger: Trailblazer of the American West.
Marcus Whitman was a missionary in the 19th century who played an important role in the development of the American West. He and his wife, Narcissa Whitman, have been revered since perishing in an 1847 Indian attack. But the story isn’t what it seems. Blaine Harden tells the startling account as he expounds on his latest book, Murder at the Mission: A Frontier Killing, Its Legacy of Lies, and the Taking of the American West.