The Plains//Liver Eating Johnson

[dorman nelson]

John Liver Eating Johnson has been considered as a mountain man and not as a plainsman. He did not get to the mountains until 1862. True he hunted and trapped, but his primary living came from chopping wood, trading and selling whiskey in his early years.
I am looking for reenactors and information on him. I am putting his story together after years of research.
[email protected]

 

[FV Rago]

Look for a book called "The Crow Killer" it is a story of his mountain and after mountain life.

Good book, I read it once a year.

Good Luck,

Frank

 

[Slamfire]

I wonder where you got the date, he was after all, a soldier in the Civil War, and was once buried in the Sawtelle Veteren's Cemetary. He was a well known mountain man before that, probably a veteren of the Mexican War.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

I wonder where you got the date, he was after all, a soldier in the Civil War, and was once buried in the Sawtelle Veteren's Cemetary. He was a well known mountain man before that, probably a veteren of the Mexican War.

Tale is, his true name was John Garrison from New Jersey, joined the US navy in 1846 during the Mexican war, struck an officer, and deserted. Went west, trapped, hunted and was a steamboat woodhawk. When his Indian wife got killed by the Crow, he flipped out and got the name Liver eater.

In 1864 under the name John Johnson , he joined the Union Army in St. Louis (Co. H, 2nd Colorado Cavalry) as a private, and was honorably discharged the following year.
_____________________________________________________________________
The recent history of Johnson.

He was buried in Sawtell National Cemetery in California. After kids in a school project petitioned to have Johnson moved, Robert Redford helped have him dug up and reburied at Old Trail Town in Cody Wyoming on June 8, 1974. Robert Redford was one of the pallbearers and the Yellowstone Mountain Men club fired a muzzleloader volley over his grave at the dedication.

How do I know this, I was once a member and Booshway of the Yellowstone Mountain Men.

 

[rabbit03]

Thanks for the info TAN I did not know most of this, appreciate it

rabbit03

 

[hawkeye1755]

Thanks for the info TAN I did not know most of this, appreciate it
rabbit03

My father said: Listen and learn son. :v
:hatsoff:

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Thanks for the info TAN I did not know most of this, appreciate it

rabbit03

The Yellowstone Mountain Men club continued the tradition of giving Johnson a volley salute at the site every memorial day for several years. Don't know if it continues today, got transferred from Cody in 1980, then back to again in 1991, when I retired from the oil patch and we settled here along the Colorado River In Arizona.

Bob Edgar started building (some of the locals thought it was pipe dream with little chance of success) Old Trail Town in the early 70's. He and some dedicated helpers dismantled and transported old historical buildings and reassembled them on the site.

The mountain in the background of photo below is Heart Mountain, where in the 70's we purchased some acreage and built our home near the base of. For the Crow Indians, Heart Mountain was/is a sacred and spiritual place.

This and other photos of Old Trail Town found at:[url] http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/p/m/18eafb/[/url]

More info about Johnson and Old Trail town found here: [url] http://www.virtualtourist.com.../Cody-902088/Things_To_Do-Cody-BR-1.html[/url]

 

[Mike Moore]

Dorman,
A few years ago when looking for a long lost historic site (the battle near Squaw Mountain- most know it better as where Fraeb died at, if you recall the movie "The Mountain Man") near the Colorado/Wyoming border. The land owner and I were talking while walking the ground and he mentioned a local history item on John Johnson. It seems that most of the locals and the local museum think that the land where Johnson had one of his cabins was on his land, in fact just 200 yards from the later battle site. I did some checking and found out that it might be correct. The lay of the land and date match up, the local musuem and newspapers all are in agreement with this. I found it interesting that while the land had been in the same family since the 1860's, the owner commented that I was the second person to come and talk to him about the site, the other person was in the 1970's. A young man he said who was writting his desteration on Johnson. This person had explored the side canyons where he thought the bones of his wife were buried in a iron pot. (!)
mike.

 

[rabbit03]

Thanks alot for the info Amigo. Just spent the last 30 minutes lookig at all the things in Cody.

Looking forward to going in the coming year.

rabbit03

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Thanks alot for the info Amigo. Just spent the last 30 minutes lookig at all the things in Cody.

Looking forward to going in the coming year.

rabbit03

Be sure and see the museum, (actually five in the complex) you get a two day pass, and to peruse it at leisure, it will take both days.

For a small town like Cody to have such a great museum is a bit of a shock for some.

Our daughter and family still live in Cody. Tomorrow the son-in-law leaves on a three week pack trip up in the high country for late season bull elk only archery hunt.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

A few years ago when looking for a long lost historic site (the battle near Squaw Mountain- most know it better as where Fraeb died at, if you recall the movie "The Mountain Man") near the Colorado/Wyoming border.

That would be interesting, nothing like walking over the ground where history was made.

 

[redwing]

Yes in the movie they showed all this happened in the high country. The area along the "Little Snake" is high desert sage brush country. This is the south end of the Red Desert. Did you go over to Old Fort Leclad? Lots of history from Virgina Dale to the Utah Border. :thumbsup:

 

[hornetk4]

I'm about 3/4 the way thru the crow killer , it's very interesting .It's a real name dropper of mountain men and covers several years of mountain man history . A much better read than the legend of Ben Lilly that I just finnished reading , it was more like reading about Paul Bunion . For most of the book it was all about his super human strength , he was supposed to be able to out jump out run any of his peers he killed lions with a stick and bears with his bowie knife . I'm sure he may have done a time or two but the book read like it was his normal method of taking these animals . Befor I purchased the book I was eager to read about how he hunted I had heared of stories about him staying out for weeks in the dead of winter with little or no equipment but in the book because of his popularity at that time he stayed at many of his freinds farms or ranches during his hunts . There was a few stories about him staying in caves and the like but it didn't seem to be his normal method of camp , I don't in any way mean to discredit Mr Lilly in any way I'm sure he was one hell of a hunter I have little dought of that . It just didn't tell me how he did some of the things he was supposed to have done , other than that it was a good read .

 

[jimpickens]

From what i have read Crow Killer would make a good movie but doubt if hollywood would do it. :hatsoff: