The Revenant – Based on a True Story Along the Missouri

Most of us have heard about the movie, “The Revenant”.  It won Best Picture at the Golden Globes and Best Actor in a Drama for Leonardo DiCaprio’s portrayal of Hugh Glass. The movie has drawn 12 nominations in total for the 2016 Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director, Actor in a Leading Role, Actor in a Supporting Role and others. But did you know, the real story behind the movie took place along the Missouri River? Hugh Glass was an American frontiersman, a fur trapper and an explorer of the Upper Missouri River (present day Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and the Platte River area of Nebraska). In 1822, General William Henry Ashley, Lieutenant Governor of Missouri, was planning an expedition to follow the path of Lewis and Clark up the Missouri river. An ad was placed in the Missouri Gazette. Glass responded and joined 99 men on this expedition, later to be dubbed “Ashley’s Hundred.” The plan was to establish a fort on the upper Missouri, supply it by keelboat and use it as a base from which to send trappers out into the mountains.   During their expedition they were attacked by Arikara warriors, losing 15 men. Glass was wounded during the attack. After that attack, the group abandoned the river and travelled cautiously overland, fearing another attack, with Glass leading the way. Glass was then mauled by a grizzly bear and left for dead without weapons or equipment. Against all odds, Glass survived and his story became a legend. Even during his lifetime, the story was being told around the campfires by his fellow mountain men. It’s safe to say the movie has embellished the story and added speculation to the few known facts to spike more interest and entice much larger audiences to the show, but it is still a compelling story. If you like adventure and a part of Missouri history (and don’t mind a little blood), this movie may be for you!