Beaver Dick

Richard "Beaver Dick" Leigh (9 January 1831, Manchester – 29 March 1899, Wilford, Idaho)[1] was an English-American trapper, scout, and guide at the end of the 19th Century, primarily in the area now known as Jackson Hole, Wyoming, United States.[2] He has been called "possibly the West's last mountain man."[3] He was the guide for F. V. Hayden's survey of the Teton Range in 1872.[2] Leigh Lake was named for Richard Leigh, and nearby Jenny Lake for his first wife, by Hayden's expedition.[4] He corresponded frequently with his longtime friend, Charles B. Penrose, leaving behind diaries and letters that provide a personal, historical, and geographical documentation of the area.[5] He was mentioned by Theodore Roosevelt in 1892, as a local hunter around Two Ocean Pass.[2] His moniker "Beaver Dick" was reportedly given to him by Brigham Young as a tribute to his trapping skills.[3] In 1964, Beaver Dick State Park was established near Rexburg, Idaho.[3]