How the Wild West Was Won with Ray Mears – Mountains – Ray Mears embarks on an epic journey across America, traversing the three great mountain ranges that challenged the pioneers during the westward expansion – the Appalachians, the Rockies, and the Sierra Nevada. As Ray travels through each breathtaking landscape, he gains insight into how the mountains’ awe-inspiring geography, extreme weather, abundant wildlife, and ecological diversity presented both immense opportunities and obstacles for the Native Americans, early explorers, fur traders, prospectors, and settlers trying to tame the wild frontier.
Ray begins his adventure in the ancient rounded peaks of the Appalachians. He learns how the forested slopes and abundant timber fueled the growth of the lumber industry and provided crucial building materials and fuel as a young America took shape. Local Appalachians Barbara Woodall and lumberjack Joe Currie share stories passed down through generations about carving out a life in these mountains. Ray gets a close look at the elusive ‘hellbender’ salamander, an indicator of the diversity and health of these environments.
Heading west into the rugged, snow-capped Rocky Mountains, Ray goes mule trekking with modern-day mountain man Stu Sorenson to experience the landscape as early explorers would have. He has exhilarating close encounters with local wildlife like busy beavers building dams on mountain streams, majestic elk traversing high alpine meadows, and curious black bears foraging in the forests.
Ray’s epic cross-country trek culminates among the desert peaks and sparse woodlands of the Sierra Nevada. He delves into the harrowing tale of the Donner Party, early pioneers whose wagon train became trapped here, leading to unthinkable acts of survival. Ray’s own journey ends on a high note as he tries his luck panning for gold with modern prospector John Gurney, learning about the boom and bust cycles that defined so many Sierra towns. He explores the remains of the bustling but now deserted mining town Bodie, frozen in time from its heyday.
Through his three mountain adventures, Ray gains a deep appreciation for how the unique geography and ecology of each range shaped the course of America’s westward expansion and left an enduring mark on the nation’s identity.
How the Wild West Was Won with Ray Mears – Mountains
A Trek Through the Rugged Landscapes that Shaped America’s Frontier Spirit
The Wild West conjures images of dusty plains, gunslingers, and the lawless frontier. Yet some of the most pivotal events in its history took place not on the flatlands but in the three great mountain ranges that presented both great opportunity and great challenge for the pioneers who dared traverse them: the ancient Appalachians, the jagged Rockies, and the desert Sierra Nevadas.
The Appalachians – Fueling a Nation
The rolling forested slopes of the Appalachians, stretching from Alabama to Maine, provided a wealth of resources for the emerging nation. Their hardwood trees became a boon for the burgeoning lumber industry, which clear-cut vast swathes to provide fuel and building material for growing cities like Pittsburgh.
For families like Native Appalachian Barbara Woodall’s, timber became a way of life. Her ancestors were lumberjacks who rode logs downriver to the mills. It was dangerous work – logs jamming in the rapids could crush a man to death. But lumberjacking provided an income in a rugged landscape where farming could not.
Modern lumberjack Joe Currie carries on this heritage. Though he fells trees using chainsaws instead of axes, he still relies on the strength and skill passed down through generations who made their living from these Appalachian Mountains. “It’s hard work, but there’s nothing better than being out in the forest all day,” says Joe. But the rampant logging had a devastating impact on the mountains. Entire hillsides were stripped bare, causing terrible erosion. The once pristine rivers ran brown with silt. Many unique species were wiped out, like the Appalachian elk – hunted to extinction by the 1850s.
One rare survivor is the utterly bizarre ‘hellbender’ salamander, which has inhabited these rivers for 150 million years. Ray goes in search of this two-foot long relic, finding one lurking beneath a rock. With its frilled back and beady eyes, this nightmarish creature remains shrouded in myth – some say it can breathe fire or curse those who capture it. In truth, it is an indicator of clean water, now threatened by pollution. Carefully returning the prehistoric oddity to its riverside home, Ray reflects on mankind’s troubled relationship with the Appalachian wilderness.
The Rockies – Peaks, Passes, and Perils
As pioneers pressed ever westward, their wagons met the formidable barrier of the Rocky Mountains. This vast range, stretching 3000 miles from Canada to Mexico, presented great risk and reward for those trying to traverse it. The high passes made for treacherous travel. Ray goes mule trekking with modern-day mountain man Stu Sorenson, who still navigates these steep trails as his forebears did. “Those wagon trains faced rockslides, avalanches, even grizzly bear attacks,” Stu says. “But if you succeeded, there were great prizes: land, furs, gold.”
Indeed, the Rocky Mountains were rich in opportunities. The alpine meadows provided grazing for cattle and sheep that could be sold for fortunes down east. Thick beaver pelts brought fur traders like the legendary Kit Carson up into the mountains’ valleys in search of riches. And prospectors would eventually strike gold, fuelling the explosive growth of cities like Denver.
But to Native Americans like the Arapaho, the Rockies had long provided food, shelter and spiritual renewal. As Ray tracks a herd of elk through the pine forests, he feels the timeless rhythm of humans living in harmony with the land. That peace was shattered in the 19th century, when settlers hungry for land drove the natives from their ancestral ranges. At night, Ray comes face-to-face with another denizen of these mountains – a black bear pops out of the darkness, startling him before shuffling away. “I have the utmost respect for these animals,” Ray reflects. “Seeing that bear reminds me how much we’ve encroached into their territory.”
Stu agrees: “My ancestors took a lot from these mountains. But now I want to give something back, passing on respect for the natural world.” Together, they gaze at the snow-capped Rocky peaks. The mountains that once speared the clouds like stone-tipped arrows, both barrier and gateway to the West.
The Sierra Nevada – Gold Fever’s Fatal Lure
As California’s goldrush gripped the nation in 1848, the next great obstacle on the Western trail loomed: the Sierra Nevada mountains. Prospectors flooded the range, braving volcanic peaks, sheer cliffs and freezing winters in search of fortune.
Looking out over the vast mountain landscape, it’s easy to see why early pioneers called this the “Range of Light.” But Ray learns the sun-bleached slopes hide dark tales of greed, desperation and death. He travels to Truckee, where the grimmest chapter unfolded: the doomed journey of the Donner Party wagon train. Stranded by early snows and unable to cross the pass, many perished. Some resorted to eating their fallen companions, giving rise to gruesome tales of survival cannibalism.
“They stared gold fever right in the face,” says local historian Bill Oudegeest. “But the mountains proved the harsher reality.” 20 feet of snow could fall overnight. Circling buzzards followed the wanderers. For the Donner Party, the Sierra Nevadas became a frigid tomb rather than a gateway to their dreams. Others did find fortune in the Sierras, none more so than the boom town of Bodie. In 1859, prospectors struck it rich, sparking a gold rush that saw the town’s population surge to 10,000 people. Saloons, shops, and brothels lined the main street as miners – and those who sought to capitalize on them – poured in.
But Bodie’s prosperity was fleeting. By the late 1800’s the gold had run out and the town was abandoned to the elements. Now a ghost town, its weather-worn buildings still stand, eerily frozen in time. Wandering the deserted streets, Ray imagines the bustling frontier life that once filled them. Boom towns like this came and went like desert flash floods, vanishing as quickly as they appeared.
At a creek, Ray tries his own luck panning for gold with modern prospector John Gurney. Though John makes an occasional lucky find, it’s far removed from the profitable enterprise of the past. The Sierra gold rush changed the nation, but took a great toll on the land and people. “Now I just do it as a relaxing hobby,” John says. “The mountains provide all the wealth I need.”
Westward, Ever Westward
As Ray concludes his journey at the edge of the Pacific, he reflects on how these mountains both opened up the West, yet also imposed its greatest dangers. Their natural bounty held great promise, yet drove some to devastation in grasping for it.
But for Native peoples, trappers, loggers, and miners alike, the shared experience of surviving in these extreme landscapes forged an archetypal frontier toughness and self-reliance. And their sublime beauty called to the human spirit as much as their riches did. Standing where the mountains finally meet the rolling sea, Ray understands now the full sweep of that westward pioneers’ saga, epic and tragic. Their journey through the Appalachians, Rockies and Sierras laid the foundation of the nation we know today. A country shaped by both the grandeur and peril of its wilderness.
Conclusion
In tracing the routes of early pioneers across three great mountain ranges, Ray Mears provides an intimate portrait of how the geography, ecology, and natural resources of America’s highlands indelibly shaped its national character.
The Appalachians’ vast timber reserves provided fuel and raw materials to drive expansion, but at great environmental cost. The Rockies presented both barrier and opportunity, their peaks and valleys challenging travelers yet promising great rewards for those bold enough to brave the dangers. And the merciless peaks of the Sierras exposed the high price of unchecked ambition, dooming overzealous prospectors in the quest for gold.
By spotlighting how both native peoples and new settlers adapted to and were tested by these landscapes, Mears shows how deeply the frontier experience became embedded in the psyche and spirit of the nation. Facing extreme conditions instilled self-reliance and perseverance, even as wilderness itself took on an iconic, mythic status in the American imagination. The mountains exerted indelible forces of destruction as well as creation on those who dared cross them. They remain not just geological features, but living embodiments of the country’s origin story.
FAQ How the Wild West Was Won with Ray Mears – Mountains
What major mountain ranges did settlers have to cross?
The three major mountain ranges early American pioneers had to traverse were the Appalachians, the Rockies, and the Sierra Nevadas. Each presented their own unique geography and challenges.
How did the Appalachians help drive America’s growth?
The dense forests of the ancient Appalachian range provided a huge reserve of lumber that became central to the growing nation’s economy and expansion westward. Logging provided fuel and building materials for booming cities and settlements.
What native peoples lived in the Rocky Mountains?
Many tribes inhabited the Rocky Mountains, including the Arapaho, Shoshone, Ute, and others. They had lived in balance with the land for centuries before westward expansion displaced them.
What disaster befell the Donner Party wagon train?
In 1846, the Donner Party became trapped by early winter snows in the Sierra Nevadas while trying to reach California. Short on supplies, some resorted to cannibalism, making it one of the most tragic tales of the Western frontier.
How did the Sierra Nevada gold rush change the region?
The discovery of gold in 1848 sparked a frenzied prospecting boom. Makeshift mining towns like Bodie sprang up overnight, then were quickly abandoned once the gold ran out, leaving ghost towns behind.
What was daily life like for Appalachian lumberjacks?
Lumberjacks like Barbara Woodall’s family worked long, grueling hours felling trees by hand. Log jams on river drives could be deadly. But lumber work provided income in areas where farming wasn’t viable.
How did mountain men like Kit Carson live off the land?
Legendary trappers called mountain men, like Kit Carson, developed rugged self-reliance from living for long periods hunting and foraging in the Rockies. Their survival skills became the stuff of frontier myth.
What environmental impacts came from rampant logging?
Entire Appalachian hillsides were denuded of trees, causing massive erosion. Rivers clogged with silt, harming fish and rare species like the hellbender salamander. Shortsighted practices damaged ecosystems.
