Mountain Men vs. Mormons: Distinct Groups in the Rockies and Pacific Northwest

No, the fur traders and trappers who explored the Rocky Mountains and Pacific Northwest in the early 19th century—known as Mountain Men—were not Mormons. They were distinct groups in time, motivation, and origin.

The Mountain Men (1810s–1840s)

• Who: Independent trappers and company employees (e.g., Ashley's Hundred, Hudson's Bay Company, American Fur Company).
• Origins: Diverse—American frontiersmen, French-Canadian voyageurs, Métis, Native Americans (Iroquois, Delaware), Hawaiians (Kanakas).
• Motivation: Beaver pelts for European hat trade. High risk, high reward.
• Key figures: Jim Bridger, Jedediah Smith, Kit Carson, Hugh Glass, Thomas Fitzpatrick.
• Range: Entire Rockies, Great Basin, Pacific Northwest, California.
• Relations with Natives: Complex—trade, intermarriage, conflict, cultural exchange. Many adopted indigenous skills and lifestyles.

The Mormons (Latter-day Saints)

• Founded: 1830 in upstate New York by Joseph Smith.
• Westward migration: Began en masse in 1846–1847 under Brigham Young, after persecution in Missouri and Illinois.
• Destination: Salt Lake Valley (then Mexican territory, now Utah).
• Nature: Religious community seeking a "Zion" in the wilderness. Organized, communal, agricultural.

Overlap and Interaction

By the time Mormons arrived (1847), the beaver trade had collapsed (silk hats replaced beaver, overtrapping). Some former Mountain Men (e.g., Jim Bridger, Miles Goodyear) advised Mormon pioneers on routes and conditions. A few Mountain Men converted to Mormonism. But the groups were fundamentally different:

• Mountain Men: individualist, commercial, pre-1840s peak.
• Mormons: communal, religious, post-1847 settlement.

The Mountain Men opened the West; the Mormons (and Oregon/California trail emigrants) settled it.