Furs and Frontiers

Podcast: Furs and Frontiers Podcast

  • The Northwest Passage

    The Holy Grail of early explorers, this famous route to the Orient took more than four centuries, and many sailors’ lives, to find. Travel with me through the ice choked Arctic Circle to find the route west.

  • Fort Pitt

    Find out how a trading post in the middle of nowhere becomes one of the largest cities on the frontier and helps build a nation. Learn about the many faces of Fort Pitt and get to know those who built it.

  • Simon Girty

    A Pennsylvania Native, this frontiersman was both heralded and hated. But did he deserve the bad rap? Travel with Simon on the wild Allegheny frontiers and judge for yourself. Link to Author Dennis J. Hocker, PhD books available on Amazon. A wealth of local history for Perry County historians.https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3ADennis+J.+Hocker+PhD&s=relevancerank&text=Dennis+J.+Hocker+PhD&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1

  • Jim Clyman

    A chance meeting in St. Louis, MO put this extraordinary mountain man on the path to becoming a legend. Relevant Links mentioned in the episode: Jim Clyman’s Journal via Internet Archives https://glorecords.blm.gov/search/default.aspx – Bureau of Land Management Archives and Record Search

  • Thomas Fitzpatrick

    Trapper, Trader, and Guide. This co-owner of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company would serve as one of the most influential US Indian Agents of the era.

  • Rebellions, Revolts & Revolutions

    In honor of our Independence Day, let us look at the rebellions, revolts and revolutions that helped form our fur trade.

  • The Crow Nation

    Learn about one of the First Nation tribes that helped define the Fur Trade and see why they were so successful when other tribes fell apart. The Friendship Treaty https://indianlaw.mt.gov/_docs/crow/codes/appendix_b.pdf

  • The Mothers of America – Women and the Fur Trade

    Celebrate Mother’s Day with these mothers of North America and meet a trio of female fur traders.

  • The Metis

    This unique and beautiful tribe was the product of the unions of fur trappers and traders and the Indigenous peoples. Not only did the fur trade create them, but they created it. They drove the trade forward, provided food for its survival and helped to mold Canada into what it is today.

  • Jedediah Smith

    Explore the life of the man gave us more insight into the wilderness of the West than possibly any other man. From Lake Erie to the Rockies to the Mojave Desert to the Santé Fe Trail, Jed’s life is packed with danger and excitement! https://user.xmission.com/~drudy/mtman/html/jsmith/index.html – Jed’s journals