Idaho Commission for Libraries

Journal of a Trapper (1965) recounts Osborne Russell’s travels in southeastern Idaho, northern Utah, and western Wyoming between 1834 and 1843 as a trapper with Nathaniel Wyeth, Jim Bridger, and independently. With an observant, "factual" eye colored by the assumptions of his calling, Russell records what the country was like before Eastern settlers arrived: its geography and difficulty of travel, its plants and animals, its weather, its native people.

Osborne Russell, born in Maine in 1814, came west with Nathaniel Wyeth’s company in 1834 and spent nine years roaming the northern Intermountain West in search of game. He left the life of a mountain man to settle in Oregon, where he briefly held public office, then went to California. He died in 1892.

Discussion Questions

Courtesy of Professor Ronald McFarland, Department of English, University of Idaho (January 2005):

Osborne Russell was born in Maine in 1814, joined Nathaniel Wyeth’s expedition to the Rockies in 1834, signed on with Jim Bridger in late 1835, and kept a journal of his life as a trapper into 1843, when he left the Rockies for the Willamette Valley. Although his formal schooling was slight, he appears to have read a good bit both in scientific subjects and literature, and he studied law once he got to Oregon, where he became a judge. By 1849 he was in California searching for gold. He never married. Russell fell out with his family around 1855, partly over publication of his journal, which did not occur in his lifetime (not until 1955, in fact). His health was impaired following an explosion that cost him sight of one eye. He died in 1892 at age 78.

1. Very early in his journal Russell calls the Caw or Kanzas Indians “the most filthy indolent and degraded sett of human beings I ever saw.” This sentiment is not at all “politically correct” correct these days. Frequently in the book he refers to Indians as “savages.” What, if anything, saves this journal from censure for being racist? The other major tribes he encounters are the Snake (Shoshone), Blackfeet, and Crow. How do they come off in his account?

2. Also early in his journal Russell gives us some observations on sites in present-day Idaho, namely Soda Springs and Fort Hall (vicinity of Pocatello). How important are such accounts, along with descriptions like that of Jackson’s Hole (18), to your enjoyment of the book? My point here, is that Russell is not, generally, a particularly vivid writer, not famous for his imagery & all. Does the book acquire appeal because you’ve visited some of the sites?

3. Russell’s account of his first attempt to kill a buffalo is pretty humorous (5), but he redeems himself when he confronts a grizzly (6). Where else do we find evidence of Russell’s sense of humor? Is it a significant feature of the book? What about his feats of courage, as in the Indian attack (16-17)? What is the appeal of this book?

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4. The great British poets Russell might have read (he seems to have had some poetic aspirations, and note his “literary moments” on pp. 43, 45-6) would have been Byron, Shelley, & Keats (all dead by 1824); Longfellow was the big name in American poetry, along with William Cullen Bryant. As a boy Russell might have read Washington Irving’s “Rip Van Winkle,” which was published when he was five years old; James Fenimore Cooper’s The Deerslayer appeared in 1841. Perhaps this accounts for certain Romantic (with a capital R) moments in the journal, like those on pp. 27, 58 & elsewhere. Do you think Romanticism is an important aspect of Russell’s character or personality, or not? Does he see himself as “different” from his more rough-hewn companions (63)?

5. It could be argued that Russell misses many good opportunities for developing episodes (note pp. 15, 28). What are his best, most fully developed episodes? Consider encounters with Blackfeet (pp. 52-54, 86-89), Crow who rob his party & leave them to the elements (pp. 70-76), he & White wounded in Blackfeet attack (pp. 101-108). Of course there are “domestic” moments (pp. 114-116). Where, if anywhere, do you find Russell thoughtful, perceptive, insightful about his experiences?

6. Osborne Russell was by no means a sophisticated writer or profound thinker, so why should we spend our good time reading his book? After all, there are fairly numerous journals of this sort by the likes of Warren Angus Ferris’s Life in the Rocky Mountains, 1830-1835 and Andrew Garcia’s Tough Trip through Paradise (1878-1879), or there are such novels as Vardis Fisher’s Mountain Man and A.B. Guthrie, Jr.’s The Big Sky. Where do you think Russell is at his best as a writer? How does he do, for example, with characterization? Or is it fair to have any expectations along such lines?

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Book Reviews of Osburne Russell's Journal of a Trapper

http://www.xmission.com/~drudy/mtman/html/ruslintr.html

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