Near Pinedale in Sublette County, Wyoming — The American West (Mountains)

Rendezvous on the Green River

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 9, 2021

1. Rendezvous on the Green River Marker, panel 1

Captions: (upper right) The destinations for six of the last eight rendezvous was the confluence of Horse Creek and Green River, three miles to the west of Trappers Point. With thousands of people and thousands of horses, camps would spread out for many miles up and down both rivers. Fort Bonneville, five miles west of the confluence, was a center of activity during the 1833 rendezvous. The mountains to the west are the Wyoming Range.; (lower left) Clear panel graphics: Left "Snake Indian Camp" by Alfred Jacob Miller, courtesy of Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, Maryland. Right: Rocky Mountain Trapper" by Alfred Jacob Miller, courtesy of Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, Maryland.; (bottom right) Background image: Camp of the supply caravan on its way to rendezvous with William Drummond Stewart on the white horse. "Our Camp" by Alfred Jacob Miller, courtesy of Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, Maryland.

Inscription.
(Two panels make up this marker)
Hundreds of trappers and traders and thousands of Indians met on the banks of the Green River in front of you for the rendezvous of 1833, 1835, 1836, 1837, 1839, and 1840 to exchange a year's worth of beaver harvest for supplies to see them through the coming year.

Trapper's Holiday After a long fall, winter, and spring of trapping beaver, rendezvous was a great opportunity to catch up with friends and let off a little steam: running, jumping, wrestling, shooting, racing, drinking, and laughing as well as "out-brag and out-lie about their adventures and achievements." Rendezvous were held mostly in July and could last a month. It was called the "trapper's holiday" by Benjamin Bonneville.

Greeting the Supply Caravan Great excitement surrounded the arrival of the supply caravan. The 1200-mile journey from St. Louis to the Rocky Mountains took nearly three months. The caravan consisted mainly of pack mules and two-wheel carts, called charrettes, carrying thousands of pounds of trade goods. The caravan arrived for rendezvous, crossing the ridge on which you are standing.

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Thousand of pounds of beaver pelts were taken back to St. Louis on the return trip.

The Upper Green River Rendezvous Grounds were designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966. Trappers Point, overlooking the site, was dedicated on July 14, 1969, and rededicated on July 12, 2018.

(Second panel:)
Trappers & Traders (caption: Excited trappers rush to greet the incoming supply caravan. "The Greeting" by Alfred Jacob Miller, courtesy of Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, Maryland)

At the time, these adventurers were known as mountaineers. We now call them mountain men. A variety of nationalities were represented at rendezvous including American, British, Canadian, French, German, Mexican Scottish, and Irish. Many now famous men rendezvoused on the Green, including Jim Bridger, William Sublette, Robert Campbell, Joseph Walker, Captain Bonneville, Thomas Fitzpatrick, Kit Carson, Nathaniel Wyeth, Lucien Fontenelle, Andrew Dripps, Joe Meek, Joshua Pilcher, Etienne Provost, and Moses Harris.

Native American Friends (caption: Shoshone Indian procession led by Chief Ma-Wo-Ma to honor their guests. "Cavalcade"

Rendezvous on the Green River Marker, panel 2 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 9, 2021

2. Rendezvous on the Green River Marker, panel 2

Caption: (bottom right) Background image: This painting depicts rendezvous on the Green River in the valley before you. Jim Bridger is on the dark horse in the foreground wearing a suit of armor five to him by William Drummond Stewart. "Rendezvous" by Alfred Jacob Miller, courtesy of Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, Maryland

by Alfred Jacob Miller, courtesy of Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, Maryland)

Native tribes dominated the Rocky Mountains during the rendezvous era. Mountain men adopted aspects of material culture and many married into various tribes. Shoshone, Bannock, Flathead, Ute, and Nez Perce were friendly and always present in large numbers at the Green River Rendezvous to trade and celebrate with the mountain men. Members of eastern tribes, Delaware and Iroquois, often joined the American and British trapping brigades.

Tourists and Missionaries Looking for adventure, wealthy Scotsman, William Drummond Stewart first attended rendezvous in 1833 and quickly fell in love with the lifestyle and culture. He ultimately attended six rendezvous. In 1837, he hired and brought artist Alfred Jacob Miller to document his adventures. Miller was the only artist to attend and pain the mountain man rendezvous.
Starting in 1834 with Jason Lee, missionaries began to accompany the supply caravan to the Rocky Mountains to bring Christian religion to the natives. Marcus & Narcissa Whitman and Henry & Eliza Spalding attended the 1836 rendezvous on

Rendezvous on the Green River Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 9, 2021

3. Rendezvous on the Green River Marker

the Green River. Narcissa and Eliza were the first white women to cross the Rocky Mountains.
Father Pierre-Jean De Smet offered the first Catholic Mass in what is now Wyoming during the 1840 rendezvous. The De Smet monument is located three miles to the west.

Erected 2018 by National Park Service.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1833.

Location. 42° 52.797′ N, 109° 58.908′ W. Marker is near Pinedale, Wyoming, in Sublette County. It can be reached from East Green River Road near U.S. 191. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Pinedale WY 82941, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Yellowstone.

It is also in the American Mountain West.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Rocky Mountains,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Upper Green River Rendezvous (here, next to this marker); Rendezvous - Birth of an Empire

"Our Camp" by Alfred Jacob Miller image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Walters Art Museum

4. "Our Camp" by Alfred Jacob Miller

(within shouting distance of this marker); Ancient Pronghorn Kill Site (within shouting distance of this marker); Wind River Mountains (within shouting distance of this marker); The Green River Drift (within shouting distance of this marker); Welcome to the Riparian Community of Duck Creek (approx. 1.9 miles away); First Holy Mass in Wyoming (approx. 3.2 miles away); Pinckey W. Sublette (approx. 3.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Pinedale.

More about this marker. The marker is located at Trapper's Point Overlook.

"Rendezvous" by Alfred Jacob Miller image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Walters Art Museum

5. "Rendezvous" by Alfred Jacob Miller

The Pinedale Mountain Man image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 8, 2021

6. The Pinedale Mountain Man

Credits. This page was last revised on July 26, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 22, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 1,520 times since then and 117 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on August 22, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.