Sep 14, 2010

HUGH GLASS vs THE GRIZZLY


Q: Is Hugh Glass vs. the Grizzly a true story?
A: Yup. In 1823, Hugh Glass was part of an expedition traveling through the plains near the fork of the Grand River (near what is now the town of Lemmon, SD). He was attacked by a grizzly bear, which slashed him from head to foot.Glass’s travel partners nursed his wounds for a while, and then moved on, leaving a young Jim Bridger to tend to Glass. Believing Glass was a dead man, Bridger took Glass's gun and gear and left him.When Glass came out of his coma, he was alone on a desolate plain, with maggots eating the rot in his back. His leg was broken, so he had to crawl 200 miles to Fort Kiowa (near Chamberlain) and safety. Fever and infection took their toll and frequently rendered him unconscious. The trip took more than two months.Angry, Glass sought revenge. Eventually he caught up with Bridger, but let him live. Glass died in an Indian ambush a few years later.In 1998, Ried Holien of Watertown traveled the same 200-mile journey made by Hugh Glass and wrote about it for South Dakota Magazine.

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