American Fur Trade Rendezvous Sites

5 Locations | Curated by Emily Roth, Northern Arizona University

The Rocky Mountain Rendezvous were annual meetings organized by fur trade companies between 1825–1840. Fur trappers gathered at these summertime rendezvous to sell their furs, purchase supplies from merchants, and enjoy the company of fellow mountain men. Meeting organizers typically picked a different location each year. This novel system of a movable trade-fair was more efficient than a stationary trading post and allowed merchants from St. Louis to meet trappers in the mountains. Although the system was relatively short-lived, it has made a lasting impact on how people perceive the American West. The mountain men and rendezvous represent the West as a wild and free place, where any individual could venture into the untamed wilderness and make their own way. This tour highlights five significant rendezvous locations, all in the Intermountain West.

Cache Valley was the site of the second rendezvous organized in the Rocky Mountains by white fur traders. This year marked a shift in ownership of fur industry interests, as well as a shift in the atmosphere of the event.
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Pierre’s Hole is a valley in Eastern Idaho, located on the west slope of the Teton Mountain Range at an elevation of 6,109 feet. Today, the valley is officially known as Teton Valley, and the Teton River flows through it. The Rocky Mountain Fur Company selected Pierre’s Hole in 1832 as a “pleasant…
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