Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1937-07-03
John NJ Bohemian Was New Type Frontiersman
for Times; He Never Wore Buckskin Clothing

Although John M. BOzeman was
one Of MOntana's most famous early
day pioneers and guides, his career
I'm this state extended over a period
Of less than five years. He first
entered the state in the fall of 1852,
and he was killed by an Indian in
the fall of 1867, at the age of 81.
His chief claim to fame rested upon
his ability to guide wagon trains
from the North Platte river into
the Yellowstone and Gallatin val
leyS of Montana over route that
enabled them to make the trip in
several weeks less time than by any
other path. THE ROzeman traiP
thus became noted over the west.
Bozeman pass across the Rocky
mountains between the present cities
of Bozeman and Livingston was an inn
portant link in that trail Bozeman did
not discover the pass, but he did teach
white men to make use of 1t as the
best and natural path across the range.
In many respects Bozeman was a
new type of frontierSman for the times.
For instance, although he has been
pictured as CARRIED in buckskins, they
were not his ordinary raiment, if in
deed he ever wore them at all. The day
he was killed by a renegade Blackfeet
Indian on the Yellowstone, although he
was on a trip OF several hundred miles
through an almost trackleSS wilderness,
instead Of wearing the habiliment Of
the trapline or the range, he wore an
ordinary black suit Of beaver cloth. the
coat of which was of the long, old time
frock style. His trousers we're not
tucked in his boots after the fashion
affected by so many WeSternerS OF the
time, but were worn pulled down over
the outside. He never wore a beard,
but had q small, sandy mustache.
OF the merits of the Bozeman trail
as the shortest distance between two
points at that time, there is no doubt.
1t came north from the Platte on the
east side of the Wind river mountains.
Once in 1864 when Bozeman was guild
ing an emigrant train over 1t, jim
Bridger, another noted early-day guide
and scout, was bringing a train into
the same region over the Bridger trail,
which ran on the west side of the Wind
river mountains. Bridger had de-
nounced BOzeman'S trail as impractical,
but although the Bridger party left
the Platte several weeks in advance of
the Bozeman party, and reached the
Yellowstone first, the Brtdger route
I'D Shields river, and Bracket creek
and down Bridger creek was so circu-
tious, that the Bozeman party reached
the Gallatin first. Lingering there they
were overtaken by the Bridger party
and the two trains raced to Virginia
City, reaching there only few hours
apart.
Born in Georgia
Bozeman was born in Coweta county,
Ga, in 1885 and there his wife and two
children were living when he was killed.
w. S. Mckenzie, for many years q
trader among the Grow Indians and
who afterwards lived in Bozeman, set
ting there in 1864, was reared in the
same county with John M. Bozeman
IN Georgia and the two knew each
other as boys.
John M Bozeman came into Montana
in the fall of 1862. He spent part of
the winter at the three forks of the
Missouri and part of it in the Madison
county gold fields. Early in 1868 he
and John M. Jacobs left Bannack with
the avowed intention Of finding q
shorter route for emigrantS into the
country than by way Of the Platte
river. They were set afoot. however,
when Sioux Indians stole their horses
on Powder river in Wyoming, and near
~ starved before they reached the set
Elements, being reduced to a diet Of
graSshoppers.
Arriving in Missouri they started to
guide wagon train to Montana over
the road they had mapped out, but !
were turned back by hostile Indians
and were forced to come by way of the