1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:03,400 Speaker 1: Did you see the Leo DiCaprio flick The Revenant. It's 2 00:00:03,400 --> 00:00:07,880 Speaker 1: about a guy, a massive killer bear, and fellow frontiersman 3 00:00:07,920 --> 00:00:11,959 Speaker 1: who abandoned the guy, leaving him for dead. A terrifying 4 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:16,000 Speaker 1: adventure of survival that's actually based on a true story. 5 00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:20,320 Speaker 1: I'm Patty Steele, ripped apart by a grizzly and making 6 00:00:20,360 --> 00:00:24,159 Speaker 1: it back to civilization with a vendetta. That's next on 7 00:00:24,239 --> 00:00:32,040 Speaker 1: the backstory. The backstory is back. We look back at 8 00:00:32,080 --> 00:00:35,680 Speaker 1: the Western Frontier and we're either amazed that anybody would 9 00:00:35,720 --> 00:00:39,839 Speaker 1: launch themselves into that like totally untamed world, or we 10 00:00:40,040 --> 00:00:42,760 Speaker 1: romanticize it and wish we could get a taste of 11 00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:46,879 Speaker 1: that life. Well, Western America in the early nineteenth century 12 00:00:47,080 --> 00:00:50,520 Speaker 1: was a vast wilderness. Yes, it was filled with adventure 13 00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:54,160 Speaker 1: and larger than life characters, but if you chose that path, 14 00:00:54,400 --> 00:00:57,680 Speaker 1: it was a major gamble. The story of Hugh Glass 15 00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:00,880 Speaker 1: is about a guy who took that gamble and whose 16 00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:06,200 Speaker 1: sheer will power and survival instinct was almost unbelievable. Glass 17 00:01:06,319 --> 00:01:10,440 Speaker 1: was a fur trapper, frontiersman, and pretty much the ultimate survivor. 18 00:01:10,959 --> 00:01:14,319 Speaker 1: In fact, his story inspired one of Leo DiCaprio's most 19 00:01:14,319 --> 00:01:19,560 Speaker 1: successful movies twenty fifteen's The Revenant. The story got kind 20 00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:23,080 Speaker 1: of hollywoodized, course, but the real life story is just 21 00:01:23,160 --> 00:01:27,520 Speaker 1: as drama fueled. It's the summer of eighteen twenty three 22 00:01:27,959 --> 00:01:30,360 Speaker 1: and there's a lot of money in the fur trade. 23 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:33,800 Speaker 1: Hugh Glass is in his early forties and he's ready 24 00:01:33,840 --> 00:01:37,320 Speaker 1: to cash in with a fur trading expedition, a band 25 00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:43,319 Speaker 1: of trappers and explorers venturing into uncharted, dangerous territory one 26 00:01:43,400 --> 00:01:46,720 Speaker 1: morning in what is now South Dakota. The trappers set 27 00:01:46,720 --> 00:01:50,400 Speaker 1: out looking for game and scouting for hostile tribes. The 28 00:01:50,440 --> 00:01:54,360 Speaker 1: region is home to Native Americans, some friendly, some not 29 00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:59,480 Speaker 1: so welcoming, but it's also alive with nature. Glass moves quietly, 30 00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:03,840 Speaker 1: but suddenly, from behind a thicket, a massive grizzly bear 31 00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:07,600 Speaker 1: charges at him. Before he can react, the bear jumps 32 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:10,600 Speaker 1: on him, knocking the wind out of him and slamming 33 00:02:10,720 --> 00:02:14,280 Speaker 1: him to the ground. The bear's claws raak across his 34 00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:18,359 Speaker 1: back and his chest. Its teeth tear into his flesh. 35 00:02:18,720 --> 00:02:23,200 Speaker 1: The pain is white hot, but glasses survival instincts kick in. 36 00:02:23,760 --> 00:02:27,360 Speaker 1: He grapples with the bear, and with his knife, manages 37 00:02:27,480 --> 00:02:31,960 Speaker 1: to stab it. It's a violent dance that they do. Meanwhile, 38 00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:35,639 Speaker 1: his fellow trapper is hearing the screams come running. They 39 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:40,000 Speaker 1: fire their muskets, killing the grizzly. But Glass is a mess, 40 00:02:40,440 --> 00:02:44,840 Speaker 1: his scalp partly torn off, deep gashes all over his body, 41 00:02:45,160 --> 00:02:48,640 Speaker 1: a broken leg, and he can barely breathe with broken 42 00:02:48,720 --> 00:02:52,639 Speaker 1: ribs and possibly a punctured lung. The men are horrified 43 00:02:53,040 --> 00:02:55,480 Speaker 1: and they don't think he's going to survive. They do 44 00:02:55,520 --> 00:02:59,079 Speaker 1: what they can, bandaging wounds, giving him SIPs of water, 45 00:02:59,560 --> 00:03:02,240 Speaker 1: but they know that carrying him through the rugged terrain 46 00:03:02,680 --> 00:03:06,119 Speaker 1: would be dangerous for him and more importantly to them, 47 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:09,720 Speaker 1: would slow them down, and staying with him would put 48 00:03:09,720 --> 00:03:13,280 Speaker 1: them at risk of attacks from Arikkara warriors who were 49 00:03:13,320 --> 00:03:18,160 Speaker 1: shadowing them. Their leader, Major Henry, offers to pay anybody 50 00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:21,320 Speaker 1: willing to stay with Glass until he dies so he 51 00:03:21,360 --> 00:03:25,639 Speaker 1: can get a proper burial. Two men agree, John Fitzgerald, 52 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:29,119 Speaker 1: a seasoned trapper, and Jim Bridger, a nineteen year old 53 00:03:29,320 --> 00:03:33,040 Speaker 1: eager to prove himself. After the others leave, the two 54 00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:38,120 Speaker 1: volunteers start digging a grave, expecting Glass to die within hours, 55 00:03:38,560 --> 00:03:43,320 Speaker 1: but that doesn't happen. Glass hangs on days pass The 56 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:47,880 Speaker 1: older guy, Fitzgerald gets nervous that hostile tribes will find them. 57 00:03:48,200 --> 00:03:51,800 Speaker 1: He pressures young Bridger, saying they should just leave, and 58 00:03:51,880 --> 00:03:55,120 Speaker 1: he finally agrees with him. They lay Glass in a 59 00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:58,720 Speaker 1: shallow grave, covering him with a bit of dirt and leaves. 60 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:02,880 Speaker 1: They take glass rifle, knife, and supplies because those are 61 00:04:02,920 --> 00:04:05,240 Speaker 1: pretty valuable and he's going to die anyway, they think, 62 00:04:05,640 --> 00:04:08,280 Speaker 1: And they catch up with the main party, telling them 63 00:04:08,320 --> 00:04:11,800 Speaker 1: that Glass has died and gotten a proper burial. Who 64 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:16,560 Speaker 1: would guess that Hugh Glass's story wasn't over Imagine regaining 65 00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:21,680 Speaker 1: consciousness in crazy pain, only to realize you've been abandoned, 66 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:26,320 Speaker 1: buried alive in the middle of nowhere, without weapons, food, 67 00:04:26,800 --> 00:04:30,360 Speaker 1: or any hope of rescue, and you're almost paralyzed with 68 00:04:30,480 --> 00:04:34,200 Speaker 1: pain and with the wounds. But Glass refuses to give up. 69 00:04:34,839 --> 00:04:37,880 Speaker 1: He drags his broken body out of the shallow grave. 70 00:04:38,480 --> 00:04:41,760 Speaker 1: He can barely see from the dried blood crusting over 71 00:04:41,800 --> 00:04:46,000 Speaker 1: his eyes. He knows that Fort Kiawa is the nearest outpost, 72 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:49,919 Speaker 1: a trading post about two hundred miles away, and he 73 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:53,080 Speaker 1: decides he's going to try to head there. He begins 74 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:56,960 Speaker 1: by literally pulling himself along the ground. He eats what 75 00:04:57,040 --> 00:05:01,560 Speaker 1: he can find buries, roots and inside. At one point, 76 00:05:01,640 --> 00:05:05,280 Speaker 1: he finds a rattlesnake and after killing it, eats it raw. 77 00:05:06,160 --> 00:05:11,000 Speaker 1: Not pleasant but life saving. He treats his infected wounds 78 00:05:11,040 --> 00:05:15,279 Speaker 1: with a traditional Native American remedy, placing maggots on them 79 00:05:15,520 --> 00:05:18,360 Speaker 1: and allowing them to eat his dead flesh in order 80 00:05:18,400 --> 00:05:22,440 Speaker 1: to slow the infection. Weeks go by, and then Glass 81 00:05:22,480 --> 00:05:25,960 Speaker 1: hears rushing water. It's the Grand River and he knows 82 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:29,440 Speaker 1: it will lead him to Fort Kioa. Then he runs 83 00:05:29,480 --> 00:05:33,279 Speaker 1: into a group of Sioux warriors, but they're friendly Lakota Sioux. 84 00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:36,600 Speaker 1: They take him in, tend to his wounds, and give 85 00:05:36,680 --> 00:05:41,040 Speaker 1: him food and shelter. Finally, after Glass regains some strength, 86 00:05:41,560 --> 00:05:44,840 Speaker 1: the Elkota give him some supplies and weapons, and he 87 00:05:44,839 --> 00:05:49,080 Speaker 1: heads out toward Fort KIHOA weeks later, he arrives and 88 00:05:49,240 --> 00:05:54,680 Speaker 1: is almost unrecognizable. The other trappers are shocked, but Glass 89 00:05:54,760 --> 00:05:58,720 Speaker 1: wants justice. The two that deserted him have rejoined the 90 00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:02,760 Speaker 1: main expedition, and he goes looking for them. He catches 91 00:06:02,880 --> 00:06:05,800 Speaker 1: up with the younger guy, Jim Bridger, at a trading post. 92 00:06:06,480 --> 00:06:11,039 Speaker 1: Bridger clearly feels terrible, and Glass decides it's really Fitzgerald 93 00:06:11,080 --> 00:06:13,920 Speaker 1: who made the deadly call, so he moves on from him. 94 00:06:14,440 --> 00:06:17,559 Speaker 1: Now the problem is, Fitzgerald has now joined the army 95 00:06:17,880 --> 00:06:22,359 Speaker 1: and attacking a soldier is actually punishable by death. After 96 00:06:22,440 --> 00:06:26,560 Speaker 1: confronting him, he simply turns him in to his commanding officer. 97 00:06:26,600 --> 00:06:29,279 Speaker 1: It's all he could do. All they can do is 98 00:06:29,360 --> 00:06:34,040 Speaker 1: force Fitzgerald to return Glass's gun, and with that that 99 00:06:34,160 --> 00:06:39,839 Speaker 1: chapter is over in Glass's life. Over the following years, 100 00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:43,560 Speaker 1: Hugh Glass continues working as a trapper and a guide, 101 00:06:44,040 --> 00:06:47,320 Speaker 1: but in eighteen thirty three, about ten years after his 102 00:06:47,560 --> 00:06:51,240 Speaker 1: miraculous survival, Glass is part of a skirmish with the 103 00:06:51,279 --> 00:06:56,160 Speaker 1: Arikara tribe along the Yellowstone River. It's all over. He 104 00:06:56,279 --> 00:06:59,400 Speaker 1: dies at the age of fifty, but it's sort of 105 00:06:59,400 --> 00:07:02,200 Speaker 1: a fitting for a guy who always lived on the 106 00:07:02,320 --> 00:07:06,800 Speaker 1: edge of civilization. Hugh Glass's story is a testament to 107 00:07:06,839 --> 00:07:10,920 Speaker 1: the human spirit, the understanding of other cultures, and the 108 00:07:10,960 --> 00:07:15,040 Speaker 1: ability of an individual to challenge the wilderness and find 109 00:07:15,040 --> 00:07:25,800 Speaker 1: his way to safety. Hope you're enjoying the backstory with 110 00:07:25,960 --> 00:07:29,320 Speaker 1: Patty Steele. Follow or subscribe for free to get new 111 00:07:29,360 --> 00:07:33,280 Speaker 1: episodes delivered automatically, and feel free to dm me if 112 00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:36,040 Speaker 1: you have a story you'd like me to cover. On Facebook, 113 00:07:36,200 --> 00:07:42,800 Speaker 1: It's Patty Steele and on Instagram Real Patty Steele. I'm 114 00:07:42,840 --> 00:07:47,400 Speaker 1: Patty Steele. The Backstory is a production of iHeartMedia, Premier Networks, 115 00:07:47,600 --> 00:07:51,480 Speaker 1: the Elvis Durand Group, and Steel Trap Productions. Our producer 116 00:07:51,520 --> 00:07:54,840 Speaker 1: is Doug Fraser. Our writer Jake Kushner. We have new 117 00:07:54,840 --> 00:07:58,360 Speaker 1: episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Feel free to reach out 118 00:07:58,400 --> 00:08:01,040 Speaker 1: to me with comments and even story mary suggestions on 119 00:08:01,200 --> 00:08:05,080 Speaker 1: Instagram at Real Patty Steele and on Facebook at Patty Steele. 120 00:08:05,480 --> 00:08:08,440 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to the Backstory with Patty Steele, the 121 00:08:08,520 --> 00:08:11,480 Speaker 1: pieces of history you didn't know you needed to know.