Where Trappers Worked?

1. Upper Missouri System (Montana and Northern Plains)

Centered on the Missouri River and its tributaries (especially in present-day Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota).

Dominated by the American Fur Company (John Jacob Astor) and its rivals.

Relied heavily on fort-based trading posts like Fort Union, Fort Benton, and Fort Pierre.

Focused on trade with Native nations such as the Blackfeet, Assiniboine, Mandan, Hidatsa, and Sioux.

2. Rocky Mountain System

Covered the central and northern Rockies (Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Idaho).

Operated on the “free trappers” and rendezvous system (not forts), where trappers like Jim Bridger and Jedediah Smith would bring furs to annual Rocky Mountain Rendezvous (first one in 1825 at Henry’s Fork, Wyoming).

Mountain men trapped beaver in the high streams, then met traders in summer to exchange pelts for supplies.

Companies like the Rocky Mountain Fur Company and Hudson’s Bay Company were heavily involved.

3. Southwestern / Taos System

Based out of Taos and Santa Fe in New Mexico (your “tiles” reference seems to be Taos).

Drew trappers south into the southern Rockies, Rio Grande, Gila, and even into Mexican California.

Traders like Ceran St. Vrain, the Bent brothers, and Charles Beaubien ran operations here.

This system linked into the Santa Fe Trail, where American trappers traded with Mexican merchants and Native groups like the Comanche, Ute, and Apache.

The Green River Rendezvous was one of the most famous annual gatherings of the Rocky Mountain fur trade, held in present-day Pinedale, Wyoming, along the Green River. It became a central institution of the mountain man era (1825–1840).

Origins and Purpose

The first official rendezvous was organized in 1825 by William H. Ashley, leader of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company.

Instead of trappers hauling furs to St. Louis each year, Ashley’s “rendezvous system” brought traders, supplies, and goods directly to the trappers in the Rockies.

This created a mobile marketplace where mountain men, fur companies, and Native American tribes could meet.

Activities at the Rendezvous

Fur trade: Mountain men sold beaver pelts and other furs to company agents in exchange for cash or trade goods.

Supplies & goods: Traders brought rifles, powder, lead, blankets, clothing, alcohol, and luxury items from the East.

Cultural exchange: Native tribes (Shoshone, Ute, Crow, and others) traded horses, buffalo robes, and foodstuffs.

Celebration: It wasn’t just commerce—rendezvous were famous for contests (shooting, horse racing), storytelling, gambling, drinking, and socializing.

Significance

The Green River Valley became a favored location because it was fertile, easily accessible, and central to the trapper ranges.

These gatherings symbolized the high point of the mountain man era, combining frontier commerce with rough frontier culture.

The last major Green River Rendezvous occurred in 1840, when the decline of the beaver trade and changing fashion trends (silk replacing beaver felt hats) brought the system to an end.

Legacy

Today, the Green River Rendezvous is commemorated each July in Pinedale, Wyoming, with a historical reenactment and festival that honors mountain man history and Native American contributions.