Bill williams mountain man

Life among the Osage [ edit ]. Marriage and children [ edit ]. Travels West [ edit ]. Honors [ edit ]. Notes [ edit ]. References [ edit ]. Retrieved 3 December Ayer y Hoy en Taos. Taos County Historical Society.

Bill williams mountain man: Founded in , the

Retrieved December 21, The Columbia Encyclopedia. November 16, Williams News. April 26, Archived from the original on December 2, Works cited [ edit ]. External links [ edit ]. Williams aided the missionaries, at first, by furnishing practical information about the Osages and volunteering his services as interpreter and translator. His efforts produced material -- a dictionary, grammar, and familiar sentences -- that was later made into a book: Osage First Lines of Writing.

Only five hundred copies were issued and the work is now very scarce. However, Williams grew impatient with the white man's civilization and Christianity as he saw them practiced, making his relations with the missionaries increasingly more difficult. They, in turn, were concerned about the accuracy of his translations, distressed over his thought and manner of life.

With this, Williams left the village aboutbut continued his high influence and reputation among the Osages. William S. Williams consequently embarked on his trek as a free trader and trapper in the Far West; a journey, in fact, that would mark him a hero of American Adventure. Bill's travels were broad until his death inand many a tale could be told of intrigue, conflict, mystery and prosperity.

In the fall ofWilliams headed for the Rocky Mountains and, working with a brigade of trappers near the Columbia River, ran into a hostile party of Blackfeet Indians. Although fighting bravely, Bill nonetheless escaped by slipping into a side canyon, where he hid for two days while the Indians hunted for him. On the third day, he emerged atop steep, rugged rocks in time to watch his enemies leave the vicinity.

Fearing their presence still on the river banks, Williams fashioned a crude raft and quietly floated down the Columbia back to the trapper's camp. Williams and his group of travelers preferred to associate with peaceful individuals, but if they encountered those otherwise inclined, they were prepared to deal with them in typical Mountain Man style.

Masterful in snaking through dangerous Indian country, Williams was assuredly cunning, unorthodox, and effective in battle; a good man to have around in a tight spot. These abilities were tested repeatedly throughout the years in skirmishes with the Blackfeet, Apache, Comanche, and Modoc Indians. He is, however, remembered as having an uncanny way with American Indians and maintained comfortable relationships with several tribes.

About this time, Williams acquired the nickname "Old Bill," by which he was known the rest of his life. As interpreter, his main duty was to help negotiate treaties with tribal leaders. Williams lost the job, however, when he began gambling after a successful beaver hunt. The experience was a passing of sorts, for Old Bill made Taos, New Mexico his new stamping ground, and he would now seek greater knowledge of the western frontier.

Lateas Bill trapped alone in the "State of Senora" Arizonahe was surprised by Apaches, stripped of everything, and turned loose in the desert. Naked and without a weapon, he journeyed miles northeast through mountains, arid valleys, and the desert before being picked up by the Zunis Indians. References [ edit ]. November 28, Archived from the original on October 7, Retrieved November 28, Categories : Historical reenactment groups United States organization stubs Organization stubs History stubs.

Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description matches Wikidata Use mdy dates from July All stub articles. Much of was spent trapping and trading into the far northwest. Here they were attacked by about "bad" Bannocks. All of the trappers in this brigade were equipped with technologically advanced revolving pistols probably Colt-Patterson which vastly increased the firepower of the brigade.

Colt-Patterson revolvers were manufactured starting inand were used in the Seminole War in the early 's. However the Colt company was underfunded, and due to manufacturing difficulties the pistols were produced only in limited numbers. It wasn't until that the Colt-Walker revolvers attained any significant production volumes. However, William Hamilton confirms that the mountain men in this party had the Colt pistols in an entry in his journal published as My Sixty Years on the Plains where he writes " Our men with their deadly Colts told with terrible effect.

The first attack of the Indians was checked and driven back. The trappers immediately mounted their horses and counterattacked with such violence that the Indians were completely routed. Word of the battle and its bills williams mountain man spread, and the brigade had no further trouble with Indians in the area. They then directed their course in a southerly direction, coming to Upper Klamath Lake, where they established their winter quarters Upper Klamath Lake is in SW Oregon.

Very soon after leaving winter quarters, in the vicinity of Tule Lake, the brigade encountered Modoc Indians. The first contact with the Modocs was most unfriendly and when offered the pipe said that they did not smoke with white dogs.

Bill williams mountain man: William Sherley "Old Bill" Williams

Anticipating an attack, the men fortified their encampment. The Indians did attack and were most determined, but were no match for the combined firepower of forty mountain men. During the ensuing battle, the Modocs lost about thirty warriors, and the trappers three men. Even though the trappers soundly defeated the Modocs, they did raise camp and leave the area to avoid further hostilities with the Modocs.

They headed southward to Honey Lake. Most of the remainder of the spring of was spent hunting and trapping across the country which now comprises northern Nevada. This was Pah-Ute territory, and these Indians were also hostile. One of the trappers, Frederick Crawford, who was well liked and popular amongst his companions, was brutally slain.

When a party of these Indians attacked the trappers camp, the trappers savagely counterattacked and no quarter was given. Twenty-three Indians were killed, forty-three horses taken and Crawfords horse, rifle and pistols recovered. The trappers had only a few men wounded in the attack. The country again proving hostile, the brigade then proceeded eastward, crossing to the Raft River, the Bear River, the Green River and then proceeding up the Wind River to the Hot Springs where they rested for a few days.

The spring trapping season being over the brigade continued traveling southeastward to the North Platte River and then following that river down to Fort Laramie. Here the party disbanded, and the remaining proceeds from the previous two years were divided amongst the men. Topographical Engineers, would find him and recruit him as a guide for an official exploratory mission.

The party was nearly sixty strong, and included Kit Carson as another guide. Proceeding northwesterly to the vicinity of the confluence of the White and Green Rivers, they met Joe Walker who joined the party.

Bill williams mountain man: Founded in , the Bill

At about this time there was a major disagreement between the guides and Fremont about the route across the Salt Desert. The disagreement was serious enough that Williams left the expedition on October Probably part of this time was spent living amongs the Ute Indians. At other times and places he appears momentarily in the records.

In July he was at Jim Bridgers Fort. In Juneduring the war with Mexico, he was engaged as a guide and guard with a wagon train of military supplies from Fort Leavenworth along the Santa Fe Trail. Sometime early in the Ute Indians were in need of supplies and had furs to trade. Williams took the furs into Taos, but instead of returning with the needed supplies he went on a spree which consumed all of the bills williams mountain man.

Williams felt he couldn't return to the Utes until he could find someway to smooth things over. Later in he briefly formed a loose partnership with Josiah Webb to provide goods and supplies to travelers along the Santa Fe Trail. He then served as a scout and guide with Major W. Reynolds in a military assault against a large band of Apache raiders who had been harassing settlements in northern New Mexico.

The Apaches were trailed to a location at the south end of the San Juan Mountains. A series of skirmishes took place as the Indians fell back before the military forces. Finally the Indians settled into a strong and easily defended position called the Pass of St. Johne Mountain now known as Cumbres Pass Before the Apaches could be engaged in this final battle they were joined by a force of Ute warriors.

During the engagement some 36 Indians and two soldiers killed. Williams was in the thick of the fray, and was shot in the arm, shattering the bone. By leading the military against a war party including Utes, Williams had now completely lost any standing he might have had remaining with the Utes. Williams returned to El Pueblo to recuperate from his injuries and was there when Captain Fremont arrived on his fourth expedition on November 21, Fremont was attempting to establish the location for a railroad route to California, and by traveling along the proposed route during the winter intended to show that it would be useable year round.

This particular winter was severe, with unusually cold and snowy conditions existing even at the relatively low elevations at El Pueblo. Dick Wootton, who was entirely familiar with these mountains, did hire on and traveled with the expedition until he saw how much snow there was on the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, at which point he quit.

While at Bent's FortJohn Hatcher and Tom Biggs, long time mountain men and with much experience in the region, told Fremont that crossing the mountains at that time could not be done. Fremont still persisted and pressing Williams, finally got him to agree to guide the expedition. The expedition left with thirty-three men and mules. He attempted to lead the party along what he considered the least formidable route, that being through Cochetopa Pass, but was over-ruled by Fremont and relieved of his duties as guide.

Fremont now choose Henry King, and Alex Godey to guide the expedition. King and Godey, though veterans of previous Fremont expeditions and being well seasoned and knowledgeable, had no experience themselves with this part of the Rocky Mountains. The hardships previously posed by cold and deep snow became unimaginably worse. It became so cold at times that mercury thermometers failed to register the temperature.

The men suffered from snow-blindness and frostbite and the mules froze to death. The men carried the remaining supplies and equipment through deep snowdrifts. Finally on December 26th, Fremont sent a party of four men back to the New Mexico settlements for help. Fremont allowed the party sixteen days to make a round trip of miles.

Fremont had extremely high expectations for these half-starved and weakened men, expecting them to walk nearly 22 miles a day through snow choked country with a minimum of supplies. It took the party 3 days to descend 20 miles to the San Luis valley.