Green River Rendezvous
From the first big beaver season in 1824 to the last Rendezcous in 1840, the Green
River Valley was the center of the Rocky Mountain fu trade. Six of the 16 summe Rendezvous (1833, 1835, 1836, 1837, 1839, 1840) were held here at the confluence of
Horse Creek and the Green River. For mountain men who trapped during the long cold
months for the best fur, the summer Rendezcous provided an oppotunity to sell beaver
hides, re-supply for the coming year, meet old friends, and celebrate. Rendezvous lasted
up to a month and were attended by as many as 3000 trappes, traders, visitors, and
Indians coming from hundreds of miles in all directions.
The Green River Rendezvous provided a stage for the first Catholic Mass performed
in the West by Father DeSmet, the arrival of the first white women to cross the
Continental Divide, the sketches of the artist Alfred Jacob Miller, the adventures of Scotsman
William Drummond Stewart (Wyoming's first tourist), and colorful stories about men like
Jim Bridger and Kit Carson.
Since 1936, the Green River Rendezvous has been commemorated each year with a
celebration the second weekend in July. The Museum of the Mountain Men in Pinedale is
dedicated to interpret and preserving the history of this colorful era.
Sublette County Museum Board
