Frontiersmen and Pioneers of the United States

FRONTIER LEGENDS

Frontiersmen & Pioneers of America

Frontier: A region just beyond or at the

edge of a settled area.

The Pioneer, wood engraving by A.R. Waud,

Harpers Weekly, January, 1868.

This image available for photographic prints

and downloads HERE!

Many of these frontiersmen and pioneers were the first people to enter or settle a region on the American Frontier. From the moment that Christopher Columbus landed in 1492, all the way up to the 20th Century, ordinary people kept pushing the boundaries westward all the way to the Pacific Ocean and northward to Alaska.

These adventurous folks left civilization behind, following rivers, crossing great plains, and scaling mountains, in order to find new and better lives for themselves. Often, they faced hardships and dangers as they made their way through unknown territory, suffering from severe weather, Indian attacks, starvation, rugged terrain, and numerous other perils.

Though there were literally thousands of these brave people, this list identifies some of the more notable figures in American History.

Find a Pioneer

Sam Aaron (1866-1940) - An Arizona pioneer, Aaron would later write his memoirs of pioneer life and the characters he met along the way.

Thomas Adams - Civil engineer with the Isaac I. Stevens' railroad survey expedition in 1853 and miner with Granville Stuart.

Cyrus Alexander (1805-1872) - A frontiersman, Alexander was a trapper with William Sublette before becoming a miner and agricultural pioneer in California.

Charles Bent (1799-1847) - He and brother, William, helped to "open the West," by trading with the Indians and building Bent's Fort in Colorado in 1833.

William Bent (1809-1869) - The younger brother of Charles Bent, William was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1809. The brothers established Bent's Fort in Colorado in 1833 to trade with the plains Indians and area trappers.

Daniel Boone (1734-1820) - Frontiersman, pioneer, surveyor and Indian Fighter who blazed the trail known as the Wilderness Road in 1775.

James Bowie (1796-1836) - An aggressive frontiersman, pioneer, explorer, and commander of the volunteers at the Alamo, where he died.

John Colter (1775-1813) - Frontiersman, explorer, fur trapper, mountain man, and army scout credited with the being the discoverer of the Yellowstone area.

Davy Crockett (1786-1836) - Frontiersman, explorer, and American folk hero, Crockett a represented Tennessee in the U.S. Congress, served in the Texas Revolution, and died at the age of 49 at the Battle of the Alamo.

Manuel Lisa (1772-1820) - Frontiersman, explorer, and fur trader, Lisa founded the Missouri Fur Company.

Lucien B. Maxwell - (1818-1875) - The owner of the largest land grant in U.S.History, a friend of Kit Carson, and a frontier scout and guide, Maxwell, who has been called the "Emporer of the Old West," died in poverty in New Mexico.

Moses Embree "California Joe" Milner (1829-1876) - Scout, frontiersman, and miner, California Joe was George Armstrong Custer's Chief Scout in 1868.
John Simpson Smith, aka: Uncle John, Blackfoot Smith (1812-1871) - Trader and frontiersman, Smith ranged from the Yellowstone to the Gila River, and from the upper Missouri to the Rio Grande Rivers, and was well-respected by the Indian tribes.
Tom Tate Tobin (1823 – 1904) - A frontiersman, trapper, mountain man, and scout, he explored and scouted in the New Mexico and Colorado areas.
Richard Lacey "Uncle Dick" Wootton (1816-1893) - American frontiersman, mountain man and trapper. Originally from Virginia, he lived most of his life in Colorado.
William Sherley "Old Bill" Williams (1787-1849) - A Mountain Man, explorer, army scout, and frontiersman, Williams explored present day Arizona.

From the Rocky Mountain General Store

Old West Books - Legends of America and the Rocky Mountain General Store has collected a number of Old West books for our frontier enthusiasts. For many of these, we have only one available. To see this varied collection, click HERE!