In Honor of James Bridger 1804 - 1881

A wager sent Jim Bridger to the Great Salt Lake. Wintering with Ashley's trappers in Cache Valley in 1824, the men argued over where the Bear River ran, so Bridger built a buffalo-hide bull boat and floated it down alone to the outlet. He came out on a salt sea and, tasting it, decided he had struck an arm of the Pacific. He is remembered as the first white American to see the lake — though the Shoshone, Ute, and Goshute had known it for centuries, and the trapper Étienne Provost may have reached it first.

What the plaque says

To settle a wager among the trappers who were making their first winter rendezvous in Cache Valley, Bridger floated alone in a bull boat down Bear River to its outlet to determine the river's course in the late autumn or early winter of 1824, thus making the original discovery of Great Salt Lake. But believing he had discovered a salty arm of the Pacific Ocean, he halted at such view-points as this en route to reconnoitre.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Wellsville Mountains — 9.2 mi
  The steepest mountains in North America for their height
• Hyrum State Park — 14 mi
  A family-friendly reservoir at the mouth of Blacksmith Fork Canyon
• Logan — 17 mi
  A vibrant college town tucked into a stunning mountain valley
• American West Heritage Center — 20 mi
  A living history farm spanning 160 acres of Cache Valley

More markers nearby

• Bear River City Pioneers — 1.4 mi
• Bear River City — 1.4 mi
• Early Schools — 1.4 mi
• Boise Ford — 4.1 mi