Standing atop a brick and mortar plinth is one of the great many statues of Mountain Man Jim Bridger which can be found throughout the country. In front of the City of Bozeman Chamber of Commerce, it may be seen at the southeast corner of the intersection of Baxter Lane and North 19th Avenue. On the sides of the plinth are a brass plaque, the text from which appears below, and several dozen donated brick pavers.
Bridger has become one of the best known of the nineteenth century explorers, mountain men, trappers, Army scouts, and wilderness guides of frontier America.
A fairly comprehensive account of the life of Jim Bridger may be found
HERE
Sculpted by Montana artist
Ott W. Jones IV, the sculpture depicts Bridger standing atop a small mound in full
Mountain Man regalia, including narrow brimmed hat with eagle feathers, buckskin coat and trousers, animal trap slung over his shoulder, and on his belt a powder horn, a flat sachel, tobacco bag and various other small implements. In his left hand he holds his flintlock rifle.
Jim Bridger - King Of The Mountain Men
Sculpted by Ott W. Jones IV
Jim Bridger (1804-1881), the infamous mountain man, was a celebrated trapper, explorer, outdoorsman, and guide. Extensively traveling and mapping the Rocky Mountain West, Bridger's explorations established many of the trails and passages in Southwest Montana. His other significant accomplishments included discovering the wonders of Yellowstone Park, discovering the Great Salt Lake, and the building of Fort Bridger in Wyoming. A Gallatin Valley legend, a determined Jim Bridger, once again stands in the shadow of the mountain range that bears his name - with his eyes looking west, as they always had.
Donated to the Gallatin Valley by Ott W. Jones IV and Contributed September 2004
From a plaque on the stele
JIM BRIDGER, MOUNTAIN MAN
Jim Bridger arrived in Montana in 1822 as a member of a Rocky Mountain Fur Co. brigade. He roamed the entire Rocky Mountain region and often came through this part of the country. A keen observer, a natural geographer and with years of experience amongst the Indians, he became invaluable as a guide and scout for wagon trains and Federal troops following the opening of the Oregon Trail.
He shares honors with John Colter for first discoveries in the Yellowstone Park country. He was prone to elaborate a trifle for the benefit of pilgrims. It was Bridger who embroidered his story of the petrified forest by asserting that he had seen "
a peetrified bird sitting in a peetrified tree, singing a peetrified song".
The Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone was named for Capt. Wm. Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Chief Joseph led his band of Nez Perce Indians down this river when he made his famous retreat in the summer of 1877.
From a Montana Highway Marker