The Last of the Mountain Men

[Bruce McClung]

I remember a book I had the pleasure of reading years ago called ''Last of the Mountain Men'' by Harold Peterson. A biography about a man named Sylvan Hart, that lived full time in the wilds of Idaho on the River of No Return in the 1960's. He was a blacksmith, muzzleloader, gunsmith and a so called primitive , real life mountain man. Everything he needed to survive he made with his own two hands, hunted,fished and gathered in the wild. An excellent read and he was a man after my own heart. I had always wanted to live that way, but life had other plans. I guess I was born 175 years too late !

I Still have that book, I had bought it at a used book sale back in the 80'... You can still find it on Ebay, definitely worth the price...

 

[VA Hawken]

Had a copy back in the dark ages, but no clue where it ended up. I just found a used copy online and bought it. Thanks for mentioning it, as it's a great read.

 

[DuncNZ]

I seem to remember something about this character , did he make and use a .22 muzzle loader ?

 

[Gold Grizzly]

I seem to remember something about this character , did he make and use a .22 muzzle loader ?

I am not sure, my memory sometimes get's fooggy.

 

[Eterry]

I seem to remember something about this character , did he make and use a .22 muzzle loader ?

My copy arrives this week. Ask me after Christmas. I can't imagine using basically lead BBs in a rifle.

 

[Gold Grizzly]

My copy arrives this week. Ask me after Christmas. I can't imagine using basically lead BBs in a rifle.

You will enjoy the book and ya, I can't see him using a .22.

 

[Eterry]

I could see it for squirrels, birds, rabbits. Even if you double ball it, your using approximately the weight of 22LR. I'm sure he had several guns. I'm waiting on my book to show up.

 

[Gold Grizzly]

I could see it for squirrels, birds, rabbits. Even if you double ball it, your using approximately the weight of 22LR. I'm sure he had several guns. I'm waiting on my book to show up.

True, it's very possible also. .22 is a good size for small game. If I remember right he was doing his own Blacksmith work, so probably did have more than 1 gun.

 

[kansas_volunteer]

Back around 1980-81 my old school, Fort Hays State University here in Kansas, had an opening for a journalism professor. Harold Peterson was one of those who applied. The department head narrowed the list to two. He asked me, an older non-traditional student, for my opinion of them. I gave my reasons for hiring Peterson and not the other, and he was hired. I moved to TX before Peterson started teaching and didn't get to meet him. He didn't work long before committing suicide. I belive it was over a divorce.

I first read the hard back edition checked out of the library. I have a paperback where I can easily lay my hands on.

 

[Eterry]

It arrived today. The book will need care and love to survive.
But here's a couple pics from it. No mention of a 22 caliber as yet.

 

[Gold Grizzly]

It arrived today. The book will need care and love to survive.
But here's a couple pics from it. No mention of a 22 caliber as yet.

Those look like some nice Muzzleloader rifle's, I think he made those himself. I met a guy into muzzleloading years ago that made a .27 caliber and he said it worked nice. Sounds like an interesting caliber, unfortunately I did not get a chance to shoot it. Enjoy the book.

 

[Eterry]

He has a rifling machine, using manual power. Exactly like in the Foxfire book. I'm guessing he bought smooth barrels and rifled them. I'll know more later tonight.

 

[Dale Lilly]

I have the book, lived only a hundred miles from him in Idaho after I retired. Hunted and fished just south of the area he loved. He was a legend in Idaho. Dale

 

[Gold Grizzly]

I have the book, lived only a hundred miles from him in Idaho after I retired. Hunted and fished just south of the area he loved. He was a legend in Idaho. Dale

 

[Gold Grizzly]

I have the book, lived only a hundred miles from him in Idaho after I retired. Hunted and fished just south of the area he loved. He was a legend in Idaho. Dale

Thats cool. He lived on his own terms and was self reliant and depended on nobody. I like the fact that he did not have to give all the sharks money just to survive.

 

[Whitworth]

Frontiers 194: Dick Proenneke - At Home in the Wilderness
Not muzzle loader but this guy was pretty cool.

Superb story, Dick was a mid 20th Century mountain man in his own right. He wrote a book about his experiences, that's how I first found out about him, "One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey".

 

[Old Hawkeye]

I stopped at his "place" when on a float trip across Idaho on the Salmon river about 25 years ago. All the rafting services stop there & "tour" the ruins. It was an impoverished place. Very crudely built. His "hut" where he lived was barely 6' long with only enough room to lay down. There is no "cabin"! Can't imagine it was an enjoyable existence. Those of you that think this is a lifestyle to be followed need to go there & see before you say you would like to emulate it. The guy was an anti-social fruitcake living in total isolation from reality in the most crude manner imaginable, not someone that should be romanticized. Just the opinion of someone who has actually been there.

 

[Eterry]

I remember a book I had the pleasure of reading years ago called ''Last of the Mountain Men'' by Harold Peterson. A biography about a man named Sylvan Hart, that lived full time in the wilds of Idaho on the River of No Return in the 1960's. He was a blacksmith, muzzleloader, gunsmith and a so called primitive , real life mountain man. Everything he needed to survive he made with his own two hands, hunted,fished and gathered in the wild. An excellent read and he was a man after my own heart. I had always wanted to live that way, but life had other plans. I guess I was born 175 years too late !

I recently finished the book... very interesting, is a good way to describe it.
He doesn't speak much of what we call Mountain Man activities; trapping, shooting, hunting, fishing, tanning hides, his rifles. Other than a short blurb, the guns aren't talked about.

He, and the author, spent many, many pages devoted to old ghost mining towns, the killings and stealing that went on, and so forth. Also lots about the area and people who lived when he arrived in the late 30's.

I enjoyed the book, but I think the title is misleading. It deals much more about other events from the late 1800s then I was expecting.

If you like historical tales... and who on here doesn't... the book is for you.

 

[db1]

I remember from the book that he ordered a piece of Swedish jackhammer steel to make a rifle barrel. He bored and rifled it on handmade equipment, finished the whole project and stood it in the corner for a YEAR before firing it.
I read the book in the'70s and have remembered that part. I've built a couple of modern rifles, but who can wait a year to see what it can do?
Not I...