Firearms, Traps, & Tools of the Mountain Men ─ A Guide to the Equipment of the Trappers and Fur Traders Who Opened the Old West

"This is a book that will fascinate everyone with an interest in outdoor tools and skills."-Jay Cassell, Deputy Editor, Field & Stream

"Not only does Russell describe the knives, traps, and other iron tools and weapons of the trapper-trader, but he also tells us how they were used-to trap beaver, make a dugout canoe, or build a blacksmith's forge."-Library Journal

"This book will send every frontier history buff scurrying to re-examine his rusty treasures, and every museum of western lore to set up new exhibits."-Journal of American History

This classic history of early-nineteenth-century fur trappers and traders showcases the devices that enabled path-breaking frontiersmen to open the unmapped American West, including:

Many of the illustrations included were created by the author's own work on the artifacts available: Carl P. Russell examined, measured, sketched, and photographed them himself. In some instances, the rare specimens were loaned from private or public museum collections for inclusion in this history.

Sprinkled with little known facts and lore that will fascinate everyone with an interest in the American West, this book, the result of thirty-five years of painstaking research, is the definitive guide to the tools of the mountain men.

Carl. P. Russell (1894-1967) was a conservationist with a PhD from the University of Michigan and was the author of a number of books including One Hundred Years in Yosemite and Guns on the Early Frontiers. He was superintendent of Yosemite National Park from 1947 to 1952.