Green River Rendezvous
Posted by: 
brwhiz
N 42° 51.983 W 110° 04.290
12T E 575844 N 4746395
This marker, at the site of the Green River Rendezvous, replaces an older marker with entirely different wording.
Waymark Code: WMAY9R
Location: Wyoming, United States
Date Posted: 03/11/2011
Views: 7
The highway marker reads:
From the first big beaver season in 1824 to the last Rendezvous in 1840, the Green River Valley was the center of the Rocky Mountain fur trade. Six of the 16 summer Rendezvous (1833, 1835, 1836, 1837, 1839, 1840) were held here at the confluence of Horse Creek and the Green River. For mountain men who trapped during the long cold months for the best fur, the summer Rendezvous provided an opportunity to sell beaver hides, re-supply for the coming year, meet old friends, and celebrate. Rendezvous lasted up to a month and were attended by as many as 3000 trappers, traders, visitors, and Indians coming from hundreds of miles in all directions.
The Green River Rendezvous provided a stage for the first Catholic Mass performed in the West by Father DeSmet, the arrival of the first white women to cross the Continental Divide, the sketches of artist Alfred Jacob Miller, the adventures of Scotsman William Drummond Stewart (Wyoming’s first tourist), and colorful stories about men like Jim Bridger and Kit Carson.
Since 1936, the Green River Rendezvous has been commemorated each year with a celebration the second weekend in July. The Museum of the Mountain Man in Pinedale is dedicated to interpreting and preserving the history of this colorful era.