The Last of the Mountain Men

[Gold Grizzly]

I remember a book I had the pleasure of reading years ago called ''Last of the Mountain Men'' by Harold Peterson. A biography about a man named Sylvan Hart, that lived full time in the wilds of Idaho on the River of No Return in the 1960's. He was a blacksmith, muzzleloader, gunsmith and a so called primitive , real life mountain man. Everything he needed to survive he made with his own two hands, hunted,fished and gathered in the wild. An excellent read and he was a man after my own heart. I had always wanted to live that way, but life had other plans. I guess I was born 175 years too late !

 

[Omahkapi'si]

As were most of us....

 

[ppg1949]

Backwoods magazine did a short series on Sylvan Hart with photos. I have no idea how many years ago it was but like Gold Grizzly said he did it all. If I remember right, the only way to get to his place was by the river. Apparently he had many guest who braved the river to spend time with him. His ability to manufacture every thing he needed was remarkable. Gold Grizzly, thanks for sharing.

 

[Gold Grizzly]

Backwoods magazine did a short series on Sylvan Hart with photos. I have no idea how many years ago it was but like Gold Grizzly said he did it all. If I remember right, the only way to get to his place was by the river. Apparently he had many guest who braved the river to spend time with him. His ability to manufacture every thing he needed was remarkable. Gold Grizzly, thanks for sharing.

I had many issues of Backwoods Magazine from many moon's ago. I want to get the Buck skinning series of books, advertised in the magazine. I have always been interested in the old ways and living off the land, ''We can skin a buck - Throw a trot line - A country boy can survive!''

 

[hawkeye2]

I read that book about 50 years ago and wished I could live that life style. Do I remember correctly, he had a degree in engineering? I remember the photos and seem to recall it was somewhat of a perilous journey into his place. The book ought to be required reading for everyone here.

 

[Daveboone]

I remember reading an article in ...pretty sure...Sports Afield a bunch of years ago.

 

[Gold Grizzly]

I read that book about 50 years ago and wished I could live that life style. Do I remember correctly, he had a degree in engineering? I remember the photos and seem to recall it was somewhat of a perilous journey into his place. The book ought to be required reading for everyone here.

He did have a Degree in Engineering and it came in handy for fabricating tools from iron and making things he needed out in the boonies. I believe it was very remote so it was a challenge to get in there. If I remember he had visitors once in awhile and never married. I tried talking my Wife into going to Alaska in the stick's and live off the land, but she was not impressed with the idea, so. We were younger then and now I am old, at least I got Youtube and I can still dream.

 

[tenngun]

Read that before I went in the navy or right out of boot camp. Lost the book somewhere along the way. Hadn’t thought about it in years

 

[Notchy Bob]

"Born out of season," is how the old-timers expressed it. That feeling is something a lot of us on this forum share.

I read that book, Last of the Mountain Men. I checked it out of the community library in about 1972. I also distinctly remember a short piece about Sylvan Hart on the evening news, some time back in the sixties, so I sort of knew who he was when I found the book on the library shelf a few years later. It was a good read, and Mr. Hart was a remarkable character. Dang, now I want to find a copy and re-read it.

There was a discussion about Sylvan Hart on one of the Muzzleloading forums not too many years ago. I don't think it was here... Maybe the Campfire forum, or maybe ALR. A couple of the participants in the discussion had met him. One thing on which they agreed was that if you went to visit Sylvan Hart you quickly learned to stay upwind of him. He did not believe in bathing, or washing clothes, ever, so they said.

I seem to recall a website devoted to eccentric characters of Idaho, with a piece on Sylvan Hart. While he was unique in many ways, he was evidently not the only one to live on his own terms in the wilds of Idaho.

I was last up to Idaho on a road trip with my brother in 1974. We drove a 1952 Chevy pickup from the Oregon coast to Florida, at 45 miles per hour. Any faster and the truck would start using too much oil. We camped out the whole way. I have vivid memories of Idaho and Montana.

Good post, @Gold Grizzly !

Notchy Bob

 

[hawkeye2]

I just remembered where I first saw mention of Hart and the book; "The Last whole Earth Catalog", guess that must date me and if you have to ask what "The Last Whole Earth Catalog" was you are too young to understand.

 

[Eterry]

I'm always up for a good read. I just bought it on Abebooks. There are several more copies

 

[Notchy Bob]

I just remembered where I first saw mention of Hart and the book; "The Last whole Earth Catalog", guess that must date me and if you have to ask what "The Last Whole Earth Catalog" was you are too young to understand.

Right! I had forgotten about that!

I still have my copy of The Last Whole Earth Catalog, heavily used and tattered. There has been no other publication quite like it, to my knowledge, before or since.

Thanks for mentioning this!

Notchy Bob

 

[OldMaineWoodsman]

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/46188313/walter-llewellen-arnold

 

[ppg1949]

I just remembered where I first saw mention of Hart and the book; "The Last whole Earth Catalog", guess that must date me and if you have to ask what "The Last Whole Earth Catalog" was you are too young to understand.

Funny you should mention The Whole Earth Catalog because my daughter recently asked if I still had mine. She said she remembered me reading it when she was still in her early teens and asked if I would give it to her. I found the old book yellowed pages and also thumb worn along with my copy of The Last Whole Earth Catalog. I gave them to my two kids. I have a 21yo grandson that asked me what it was and I told him it was “Google” before the internet. Thanks for sharing hawkeye2.

 

[toot]

I remember a book I had the pleasure of reading years ago called ''Last of the Mountain Men'' by Harold Peterson. A biography about a man named Sylvan Hart, that lived full time in the wilds of Idaho on the River of No Return in the 1960's. He was a blacksmith, muzzleloader, gunsmith and a so called primitive , real life mountain man. Everything he needed to survive he made with his own two hands, hunted,fished and gathered in the wild. An excellent read and he was a man after my own heart. I had always wanted to live that way, but life had other plans. I guess I was born 175 years too late !

I beleave that his cabin is a historic place. still there to be visited.

 

[SamTex1949]

here is a U-tube video about hart, go to "14:00" to see his part but watch about Francis , who also lived alone on the Salmon , she is just as interesting !

 

[Gold Grizzly]

Read that before I went in the navy or right out of boot camp. Lost the book somewhere along the way. Hadn’t thought about it in years

Been years for me since I read it as well. I

"Born out of season," is how the old-timers expressed it. That feeling is something a lot of us on this forum share.

I read that book, Last of the Mountain Men. I checked it out of the community library in about 1972. I also distinctly remember a short piece about Sylvan Hart on the evening news, some time back in the sixties, so I sort of knew who he was when I found the book on the library shelf a few years later. It was a good read, and Mr. Hart was a remarkable character. Dang, now I want to find a copy and re-read it.

There was a discussion about Sylvan Hart on one of the Muzzleloading forums not too many years ago. I don't think it was here... Maybe the Campfire forum, or maybe ALR. A couple of the participants in the discussion had met him. One thing on which they agreed was that if you went to visit Sylvan Hart you quickly learned to stay upwind of him. He did not believe in bathing, or washing clothes, ever, so they said.

I seem to recall a website devoted to eccentric characters of Idaho, with a piece on Sylvan Hart. While he was unique in many ways, he was evidently not the only one to live on his own terms in the wilds of Idaho.

I was last up to Idaho on a road trip with my brother in 1974. We drove a 1952 Chevy pickup from the Oregon coast to Florida, at 45 miles per hour. Any faster and the truck would start using too much oil. We camped out the whole way. I have vivid memories of Idaho and Montana.

Good post, @Gold Grizzly !

Notchy Bob

Glad you liked it. I checked my book out at the library as well and I want to get a copy of my own. It's a an easy book to get copies of from the internet and I think Amazon has it. I bet there are still folks to this day living out in the Idaho wilderness surviving off the land and other States as well. Here in Oregone I know there are many folks living out in the wilderness areas seldom seen by outsiders. There are lots of cabins from the old gold miners and many of them are from not too long ago in the past years where they eked out a living from gold mining and lived off the land. I knew a guy that would talk to an old gold miner in Oregone back in the 90's that did just that. Sadly the so called forest service burned down his cabin and he died shortly after that because it broke his heart. Its nice that you had a chance to drive across the Country and see Idaho and Montana and I drove a family to Idaho in the 90's from Oregone and we fit them and most of their belongings in my 79 Dodge van. We camped out along the way and I remember we smoke cooked a turkey breast over a sage brush fire and I was doubtful that it would taste good, but I'll be damned it was the best turkey I ever ate ! I got to see Idaho and Montana as well and it is beautiful Country.

 

[Gold Grizzly]

I beleave that his cabin is a historic place. still there to be visited.

I would like to see that cabin and hopefully it hasn't burned down yet.

 

[Notchy Bob]

I enjoyed the video, @SamTex1949 . Thanks for posting it!

Here is a link to the website referenced in post #9, regarding eccentric characters in the Idaho backcountry: Territory Magazine: "Solitaries"

"Buckskin Bill" is one of four individuals described in the article. This portrait of him came from there:



Best regards,

Notchy Bob

 

[BozoMiller]

Frontiers 194: Dick Proenneke - At Home in the Wilderness
Not muzzle loader but this guy was pretty cool.