American Trapper

The Life and Death of American Frontiersman Hugh Glass

By: Fergus Mason

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

In the early 1800s, the American frontier was a place of danger, opportunity, and survival. Few men embodied that spirit more than Hugh Glass. A fur trapper, frontiersman, and hunter, Glass carved his name into history through feats that still defy belief.

The most famous moment came in 1823, when he was mauled nearly to death by a grizzly bear. Shattered ribs, torn flesh, and a broken leg left him immobile, hundreds of miles from safety. Left behind by fellow trappers who believed he would not survive, Glass refused to surrender. He set his own leg, treated his wounds with whatever the wilderness provided, and crawled mile after mile across the unforgiving landscape. When he reached a river, he floated downstream until, against all odds, he returned to life among men.

But the bear attack was only one chapter in a life filled with adventure and hardship. Glass traveled with fur expeditions into uncharted lands, lived among Native American tribes, and braved the constant threat of wild animals, disease, and hostile encounters. His story offers a glimpse into a world where survival depended on skill, instinct, and an iron will.

This biography explores the legend and the man behind it: Hugh Glass as hunter, explorer, and reluctant hero. It is a story of endurance, revenge, and resilience that continues to capture imaginations nearly two centuries later.