In 1830, Bridger and several associates purchased a fur company from Smith and others, which they named the
Rocky Mountain Fur Company. After dissolving that partnership, Bridger explored the continental interior between the Canada–U.S. border and the southern boundary of Colorado, and from the Missouri River westward to
Idaho and
Utah, either as a guide or a partner in the
fur trade.
Hugh Glass ordeal The 19-year-old Bridger was employed by William Henry Ashley in 1823 at the time of the famous bear attack and subsequent abandonment of
Hugh Glass, another frontiersman. The event has inspired two feature-length films,
Man in the Wilderness (1971) and
The Revenant (2016). While scouting for game, Glass was badly mauled by a grizzly bear near the forks of the
Grand River in present-day
Shadehill, South Dakota. There is debate about whether Bridger was present with the party that Glass was a part of. John Fitzgerald and a man described as "Bridges" stayed, waiting for Glass to die, as the rest of the party moved on. They began digging Glass's grave. Claiming they were interrupted by an
Arikara attack, the pair grabbed Glass's rifle, knife, and other equipment and took flight. Bridges and Fitzgerald later caught up with the party and reported to Ashley that Glass had died, even though he had not, and miraculously survived. No direct witness ties Bridger to the incident, and when asked by a historian later in his life, he denied involvement.
Yellowstone and the Great Salt Lake Bridger was among the first non-indigenous people to explore the
Yellowstone region. He was the first recorded non-indigenous person to explore Yellowstone's springs and geysers. He shared that a creek south of Yellowstone Lake formed a
Parting of the Waters, with one side going to the Pacific Ocean and the other side to the Atlantic Ocean. Bridger took a raft on the rapids at the
Big Horn River; he was the only man known to have done this and lived. In the fall of 1824, Bridger was the first person of European descent to explore the
Great Salt Lake region, reaching it by
bull boat via the
Bear River.
Guide and adviser In 1843, Bridger and
Louis Vasquez established
Fort Bridger on the
Blacks Fork of the
Green River along the
Oregon Trail, in what is now
Wyoming. Bridger had explored, trapped, hunted, and blazed new trails in the West since 1822 and later worked as a wilderness guide. He could reportedly assess any wagon train or group, their interests in travel, and give them expert advice on heading West. In 1846, the
Donner Party came to
Fort Bridger and were assured by Bridger and Vasquez that
Lansford Hastings' proposed
shortcut ahead was "a fine, level road, with plenty of water and grass, with the exception before stated (a forty-mile waterless stretch)". The 40-mile stretch was in fact 80 miles, and the "fine level road" slowed the Donner Party, which became trapped and suffered severe casualties in the
Sierra Nevada. From 16 July 1857 until July 1858, Bridger was employed as a guide during the
Utah War. In 1859, Bridger was the chief guide on the Yellowstone-bound
Raynolds Expedition, led by Captain
William F. Raynolds. Though deep snow prevented them from reaching Yellowstone, the expedition explored
Jackson Hole and
Pierre's Hole. In 1861, Bridger was a guide for
Edward L. Berthoud. From October 1863 until April 1864, Bridger was employed as a guide at
Fort Laramie. Bridger served as a scout under Colonel
Henry B. Carrington during
Red Cloud's War. Bridger was stationed at
Fort Phil Kearny during the
Fetterman Fight, and the
Wagon Box Fight. Bridger was discharged on 21 July 1868. Suffering from
goiter and
rheumatism, Bridger returned to Missouri in 1868. He was unsuccessful in collecting back rent from the government for the lease on Fort Bridger. By 1875, he was blind.
Bridger Pass and the Bridger Trail In 1850, while guiding the
Stansbury Expedition on its return from Utah, Bridger discovered what became known as
Bridger Pass, an alternate overland route that bypassed
South Pass and shortened the
Oregon Trail by 61 miles. Bridger Pass, in what became south-central
Wyoming, later became the chosen route across the
Continental Divide, for the
Overland Stage,
Pony Express, the
Union Pacific Railroad Overland Route, and
Interstate 80. In 1864, Bridger blazed the
Bridger Trail, an alternative route from Wyoming to the gold fields of
Montana that avoided the dangerous
Bozeman Trail. In 1865, he served as Chief of Scouts during the
Powder River Expedition. ==Family and death==