"J.T." the
Mountain Man
"J.T." the
Mountain Man
J.T. is the new mascot for Draper Days
- modeled after the mountain men that used to roam the Rocky Mountains in
the early to mid 1800s. Mountain men were primarily beaver trappers, but
many were simply men that wanted to explore the West.
Stereotypical mountain men are
depicted as loners dressed in pelts, sporting considerable facial hair and
usually carrying a Hawkin rifle and Bowie knife (often referred to as a
"scalpin' knife"). This depiction is not entirely accurate. While some were
free trappers, most mountain men were employed by fur companies. Their
lifestyle was almost militarized, with men hunting and trapping in brigades.
These brigades did have a leader, called a "boosway" (a bastardization of
Bourgeois").
Some mountain men were gruff, but
others were quite well-mannered. However, they were all romanticized as
honorable men with their own code of conduct that included helping their
brethren. One trait they all shared was being more at home in the wild.
Why did we name our mascot "J.T."?
Although J.T. is modeled on mountain men in general, he is also a tribute to
Draper's very own mountain man, Joshua Terry.
Joshua Terry was born on August 11,
1825 in what is now Ontario, Canada. He was baptized a member of the Church
of Latter Day Saints on June 20, 1840 and helped to erect the Nauvoo Temple.
He entered the Salt Lake Valley on September 28, 1847 and soon made a camp
on Little Willow Creek (what is now Draper). Joshua Terry and Levi Savage
(his partner at the time) were likely the first white men to set foot in
what is now Draper.
Various circumstances took Joshua
Terry to Idaho, where he was hired and befriended by Jim Bridger. After
several years in Idaho and Wyoming with Jim Bridger, Joshua settled back in
Draper in 1856. He served a number of years as trustee of the Draper schools
and for eleven years as Justice of the Peace. He was a prominent and highly
respected citizen. He died in his home on February 22, 1915. Both Joshua and
his wife, Mary Emma, are buried in the Draper Cemetery.
Draper City Park, where a number of
the Draper Days activities are now held, sits on what was once Joshua
Terry's homestead.
To learn more about the history of
Joshua Terry
click here.