In the film JJ asked one of the other mountain men where he was going to head. He was answered with something like 'I thought I would head over to the muscle shell'. My question is what is the Muscle Shell?
I am an avid backpacker and have spent much time in the mountains near Pinedale, WY. This is in the 'Green River' area and site of the first and many of the mountain men rendezvous. I recommend the Museum of the Mountain Man in Pinedale.
I found the answer to my own question. The Musselshell River is a river about 200 miles long in central Montana.
shareAt one point either he or the old trapper also mentions the Judith river, which flows north through central Montana. I suppose they put these references in the movie to give it a basic location since we don't really know where he got off the river to start his mountain quest.
And PLEASE don't admonish me if Ive left out an apostrophe or two, geeze, you'd think everybody here was my 9th grade grammar schoolteacher or something!!
"Go back to your oar, Forty One."
Dont worry, I leave out most of my apostrophes when typing on the internet. Mostly out of laziness, I admit. My stickler with grammar on the internet is when people spell lose as loose (mainly because it seems to be done way too often). LOL. Otherwise, I dont care
Note: Notice how the word don't is spelled in my post. LOL.
central montana
the musselshell river drains the southern exposures of the little belt mountains and begins near harlowton, running easterly to melstone in musselshell county, then north through mosby, about 75 miles east of lewistown, to the missouri river, now called fort peck reservoir......the judith river drains the northern exposures of the little belt mountains and runs northerly through moccasin, about 25 miles west of lewistown and into the missouri river....the end of the line boat service in those days would have been fort benton, roughly 100 miles upstream....i've done the missouri river float trip from virgelle to the james kipp rec area on u.s. 191 many times.....its about 100 miles long and wild and scenic as well as rugged....
I absolutely love this movie (just watched it again last night) but it does have some geographical errors. The Judith and the Musselshell are in Montana which is also where the Crow and Flathead live. But they give you the impression that this is in Colorado which is actually Ute country (in the mountains). Then they throw in the Gila River which is in Arizona. So essentially you have Johnson leading the cavalry troop from Montana to rescue a wagon train in Southern Arizona. Truly an incredible feet to be accomplished so quickly! :)
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