In 1823, Hugh Glass was part of an expedition traveling through the plains near what is now the town of Lemmon. He was attacked by a grizzly bear, which slashed him from head to foot. While the rest of the party moved on, a young Jim Bridger was left to tend to Glass. Instead, he 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 and safety. Fever and infection took their toll and frequently rendered him unconscious. The trip took more than two months.
Glass eventually caught up with Bridger, but let him live. Fate rewarded Glass’s kindness by having him die in an Indian ambush a few years later.
The Monument stands at the end of a winding unpaved road on a bluff near Shadehill, south of Lemmon, overlooking a manmade lake.
