14. The First People Who Took the Trails Were Fur Trappers and Mountain Men
It was missionaries, fur trappers, and what came to be known as mountain men who were the first people to become interested in the new American territory. It would be this group of people that would lay the rest of the foundation for the significant migration into Oregon and California. The Oregon Trail was not created all at once but was built over time and piece by piece. Fur traders, who were in the business of buying and selling animal fur, started to explore the territory in the 1820s.
It was the mountain men who really began to explore the territory. Mountain men were rugged and were uncomfortable in a civilized society. However, even their exploration was slow going, and they were not sure how far they could safely go. Throughout the 1820s, they began to create a path that would soon become known as the Oregon Trail. Some of the most famous Mountain men who would help pilot this trail were Jed Smith, Bill Sublett, Jim Bridger, Jim Clyman, and Tom Fitzpatrick that would blaze the trail. In fact, it was these men who traveled and clearly defined the South Pass.