A first-hand account of the West’s most renowned period—the North American fur trade. Step into the untamed world of Joe Meek, a legendary figure of the West's trapper era. Born in rural Virginia in 1810, Meek's journey begins in St. Louis at the age of eighteen, where he embarks on a thrilling career in the fur trade. As a member of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company, Meek finds himself among the esteemed company of Kit Carson, Thomas Fitzpatrick, and the Sublette Brothers. In book one, readers are transported to the rugged landscapes of the Rocky Mountains, California, and the Southwest, experiencing firsthand the challenges and triumphs of a mountain man's rugged life. With vivid descriptions of the wilderness and Meek's unfiltered observations, Win Blevins brings to life a bygone era of adventure and danger in this colorful memoir. Drawing on Meek's own writings and historical accounts, readers are sure to be immersed in the heart-pounding excitement of the American frontier. “Joseph Meek was famed for his ability to tell a story, turning his near-lethal adventures in the forests into the stuff of grown-up fairy tales.” — The History Channel