The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1927-02-04

In the closing paragraphs of his biOgFa-
phy or Br1dger, General Dodge describes
the characteristic Of the man as follows:
Il round Brtoger a very companionabIe
man. In person he was over six feet tan.
spare, straight as an arrow, agile, raw
DOned and OF powerful frame, eyes gray.
hair brown and abundant in old age eI-
preston mild, and manners agreeable. He
was hOspitable and generous, and was al
ways trusted and respected. He possessed
In a high degree Of confidence of the In
He was one of the most noted hunters
and trappers on the plains. Naturally
snreWd, and possessing keen faculties OF
observation, he carefully studied the habits
OF all animals, especially the beaver, and
prOfiting from the knowledge obtained
from the Indians, with whom he chiefly
associated, and with whom he became q
great ~favOrite, he soon became one of the
most expert hunters and trappers in the
mountains.
g" " Eager to crafty his curiosity.
and with a natural fOndness for mountain
scenery, he traversed the country in every
direction, sometimes accompanied by an
Indian but Oftener alone. He familiarized
himself with every mountain peak, every
dee pgorge, every hill and every landmark
in the country. Having arrived on the
banks of some before undiscovered stream,
and finding signs Of his favOrite game,
he would Immediately proceed to his traps,
and then take his gun and wander over tho
hills and up the canyon in quest Of meat.
while engaged in this thorough system
u trapping, no OBJECT OF interest escapes
his scrutiny, and when once known it was
ever after remembered. He could describe
with minutest accuracy places that perhaps
he had visited but once, and that many
years before, and he could travel in almost
a direct line from one point to another In
the greatest distances, with certainty Of
always making his goal.
He adopted the habits of the Indians
confOrmed to their customs, became imbued
with their superstitions:, and at length ex-
celled them in strategy"
A Great Story Teller
Bridger was by nature a great story
Of Yellowstone park which he visited in
1874, none believed him.. Today this tale
has been proved a real one. Bridger bore
the record of being the champion liar Of
the old frontier. Nevertheless he was res
l pected and trusted .Bridger felt keenly the
> suspicious cast upon his truth and honesty,
and was often disguised and angered at the
; talk about "Old Jim Bridger and his lies"
Z In retaliation, he followed the custom Of
: mountain men by stuffing his listeners
; with the most preposterOus stories he could
. Once at Virginia City, Montana Territory,
I accOsted by a group of pilgrims who
> heard Of his fame, proceeded to question
, the old man, whereupOn he told the follow
] ing narrowing tale:
! The Fortified Forest
"Once years ago., l and my partner were
trapping near the bad lands Of the Nilsson
3 ri, a few miles below Benton, when we
L. { vi VIC a III AAEaks 0A0hAAELAA5 OaA
rifles, we started out after deer, and soon
were on the edge of the bad lands. A fine
buck started out Of the brush and ran
toward a petrified forest Of the kind that
is often found in the queer bad lands
y formations. My partner and ! both shot,
n and the deer bounded forward. AS the
animal leaped over q fallen tree, he sud
n denly stopped, suspended six feet in the
air with nothing to support him. We al
Vanced 20 inspect our meat, and were sur
y prised to find that the buck had beeI
= turned from flesh to stone in q twinkliRe
and was hanging in mid-air in a mysterious
fashion"
i One Of the party thereupon asked Bridges
If the law Of gravitatiOn would not have
n prevented the deer from hanging in tn
- air that way. "GravitatiOn be damned" re
10 piled Bridger, with evident disgust. tina
= was petrified, too"
- Bridger was then asked If he had seel
3 any other animals petrified. He replied tina
- he had seen a great many deer, antelope
and bear ~petrfiied in the badlands zone
In fact, he said that he and his partner
while sleeping Ia the p~ertified zone, fel
themselves turning to stone and got on
Just in time to survive.
III So, as a matter Of fact, Bridger did tel
. some fantastic yarns. But, when he did Sc
III there was a good deal of basis for 1t, !
his listeners had sufficient wit and sens
III to look for the meat.
ut Was q Trusted Scout
Id The testimony OF scores Of prOminen
=" military commanders and civilians can b
CONTINUED on the Agricultural Page)
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