Journal of a Trapper: Nine Years in the Rocky Mountains, 1834-1843

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars | 2,906 ratings

Price: 13.62

Last update: 12-23-2024


About this item

In 1834, Osborne Russell joined an expedition from Boston, which proceeded to the Rocky Mountains to capitalize on the lucrative salmon and fur trade. Beginning at the age of 20, he detailed the life of a trapper in his journal and recorded his adventures through treacherous terrain, encounters with dangerous wildlife, and confrontations with the natives of the Rockies.

Osbourne would remain there - hunting, trapping, and living off the land - for the next nine years. Journal of a Trapper is his remarkable account as he developed into an experienced trapper and a seasoned mountain man of the Rockies.


Top reviews from the United States

  • bill carter
    5.0 out of 5 stars The trials and tribulations of a trapper in the 1st half of the 1800's out West
    Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2023
    I really enjoyed reading this Journal of a trapper in the 1st half of the 1800's. The journal gave an interesting account of the writer's encounter with the Indians out West when they first had contact with the white people coming West. Beautiful description on the West as it once was from someone who saw it first hand.
    It was a short read, but nonetheless a very interesting accounting of that 10 year period. I enjoyed the read.
  • MJ Smith
    4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and Fun
    Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2014
    This journal is just that, the journal of a trapper from the early 1800's. It's a bit rough to read at times as you are just reading his journal, very bland and basic at times, yet it clearly paints the picture of what it is like for a man to venture out into west to try his hand at being a mountain man. It's hard to rate this book because on the one hand it is not a great autobiography in the sense of being a great literary work, but it is truly fascinating to read the words of a trapper from that era, rather than a biographer telling you about him. Keep in mind, it is quite dry in many places, and the punctuation is a little more challenging. But it is worth it if you are interested in the daily life, both the mundane, less glamorous parts, as well as the challenges of what it would have been like for an ordinary mountain man to try his hand at it.
  • Robert Crowe
    5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting real life journal
    Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2024
    He tells the story of his own experience in the Rocky Mountains, especially around Yellowstone. This is authentic writing by someone who is not a writer, and probably self educated, but he writes well, especially around various stories. Much of the book is more of a day to day journal of where he’s going and what he’s doing throughout the year.
  • Dr.Science
    3.0 out of 5 stars Engaging, but there are much better books on the subject
    Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2011
    Osborne Russell was the real article: a respondent to Ashley's famous advertisement "to enterprising young men", Russell was one of the few who both survived and wrote about the experience. His life as a trapper was an enviable one, for he both survived and thrived in his nine years in the mountains, and those experiences stood him in good stead for the remainder of his life as a frontiersman in Oregon and California. However, his writings consist primarily of an uninspired travelogue: spend two weeks trapping on this creek, then three weeks on this other creek, then crossed the divide and descended this river to that fort, then spent two weeks trapping that river, etc. There are a few good yarns mixed in and he met many famous people, but you'll find more yarns, better told, and more insights, and better biography, in other books. If you've read a dozen good books about the mountain men, then you should add Russell to your list, but first you should read A Majority of Scoundrels: An Informal History of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company, which is fantastic, and also Across the Wide Missouri, equally so, even though they were both written by modern authors. If you want an eyewitness account, then your first stop should be Tough Trip Through Paradise, 1878-1879, one of the best books about a mountain man's life by anybody, from anywhen. You'll also want to check out Mountain Men and Fur Traders of the Far West: Eighteen Biographical Sketches to get some more background on some of these characters, and after that, you'll probably want to read more about the likes of Jed Smith, Jim Bridger, John Coulter and Hugh Glass (who came closer than any other man to getting et by a grizzly without actually dying) before you turn to the relatively humdrum life of Osborne Russell. So, to sum it up, I'd trade moccasins with Osborne any day, but there are better tales in store from other mountain men.
  • Rick
    5.0 out of 5 stars A true classic. Authentic story of the days of Mountain Men
    Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2023
    This is a true writing of what the West was like in the days of the Mountain Men. It is a diary of what one Mountain Man experienced and saw. He shares his amazement at things like endless herds of buffalo and seeing what is now Yellowstone. Good book for adult, but even my teenage grandkids find it an easy read and very interesting
  • clayguy
    4.0 out of 5 stars OK book
    Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2020
    I'm an avid reader of Western history and particularly books about the Mountain Men and the trapping industry. This book is in journal format and is well written, however, it's heavy on the geography of area traveled (which was a LOT of country!). I was hoping for more details on trapping, the rendezvous, Indian encounters (there were a few on this, but not much detail) and encounters with griz, wolves and buffalo. There were parts that talked about these areas, but not in enough detail to satisfy me. Nonetheless, it's an OK book, but just didn't meet my personal expectations. If you had an old map of the area and could trace the travels, I'm sure it would raise the interest level.
  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous
    Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2024
    What a treasure to have survived for publication. Such an interesting record of hunting, trapping and just surviving during the mountain man era.

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