Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977, 1924-04-10

ana deltnehto mountains, streams and the circular
valleys called holes with wonderful accuracy
Capt J. w. Gunnison, u. g n
Bridger sold out at Fl. Brfdger in 1850 and
moved TO jackson County. Missouri He bought
Dig farm and built large residence. He had
an Indian wife and several children. He kept
open house. Virginia Bridger was married there
In 1854 to Capt Albert Wachsman. The wedding
was big social event Captain Wachsmnn died
IN 1888 and in 1892 she married Frank Hahn.
Brdger died In 1881 and his grave In Washington
fark cemetery, Kansas City, is marked by mon
ument erected and inscribed by General Dodge
According to General Dodge, Brdger had three
indian wiyes-one at a time and all REGULAR
Flathead. Ute and a Snake Mrs. Hahn Is the
daughter Of the second wife, the Ute. to whom
BFidger was married at TT. BrIdger by the famous
Jesuit, Father de Smet
Bridgers career reads like a fantastic romance
and the most fantastic thing about It Is this
~Od Jim" Bridger is American Immortal be
cause OF his fantastic Tall Yarns" The West
may forget him as "the uncrowned king Of all
the Rocky Mountain scouts guides, trailers, In
dun fighters, trappers and painsmen from the
ThIrties 10 the Seventies" But his Tall Yarns
VIII always be told in the West to each succeeding
generation.
"OId Jim" led a dual life. He was apparently
equally devoted to fact and Bottom When he
told fact he was exact. His spoken work had
the confidence OF white man and Indian alike.
His maps were Invariably correct. When he
swapped yarns with old cronies could get the
ear OF a tenderfoot. his adventures were limited
only by the powers Of his Imagination. And he
never played n bigger joke on a greenhon than
he played on himself for when he told Of the won
ders OF the Yellowstone admring public burst
into laughter over another of Old Jirn's' tall
yarns"-and refused 10 believe a single word
SO Jim making the best Of bad Job. cOncOct-
ed the "obsldlan cliff. yarn and added II as the
cr0wnng wonder Of the Yellowstone. II is prob
ably the most popular Of oil his Tall Yarns" and
is too well known to need telling here. The herd
o, picked butler" was showed in by a Eevenfy-day
storm and frozen solid. In the spring Jim rolled
the cnrcasses into Salt Lake and supplied the /
Ufes with meat for two years. The ce-cold spring
was high up and the water dOwn-hil so fast /
that II was boiling by the time II reached the foot
OF tie mountain. The alum creek shrunk up his
pony's feet 10 points. so that the animal stuck
when he bi. the trail
Can imagination conceive OF a situation more
unique than Sir George Gore. with a perfectly
straight face reading "Munchausen's Tales" 20
Jim BrfdxeEz beside a Rocky Mountain cHmpnrs
YET the Incident is strictly true as is Jlms com.
messt and-FiFa- boast Sir George was noted
Trfsh sportsman who hunted for two years IN the
Rocklae 1RS4-b- with Jlm fer guide philosopher
and friend The Gore range Il named for him.
Ha travelled with a retinHs Of fifty and 0utnt
20 correspond He dined In state late Ia the
evening and II was his practice after dinner 20
read 70 Jim from the great books Of the world
Imagine his inward delight IN reading from the
biggest har Of all print 70 the champion liar 81
The Wemkl