Arrival Of The Mountain Man

John could not wait to get to the Rocky Mountains. He liked solitude, and he wanted to learn how to survive in the harsh winter conditions in the mountains. The big man knew he could be a mountain man and had to learn quickly. He dealt with frequent snow storms, frozen rivers and arctic conditions. His cave became his home. John welcomed an old Indian chief who came to the high elevations to spend the last days of his life. He later rescued the daughter of the Indian chief and life took on a new meaning for Mountain Man John.

July McCray, whose mother had nicknamed him Boots, left home to get away from his abusive father. When his sister pulled Boots back home from the Rocky Mountains, he found his mother near death and his two sisters and a brother starving. His Cheyenne wife nursed his mother back to health and he took his family to the mountains. The family found a new, happier life at an outfitter’s post at the base of the Rockies. Outlaws hid from the law in the mountains, and Boots came in contact with them while trying to protect his family.

While the mountains with their beauty, forests and wildlife brought peace and quiet for some, others found that peace and quiet pierced with the sounds of rifle shots and war whoops. The Yellowstone Mountains were no exception as those who wanted to be mountain men tried to find a way of life.