Dawn was just about to break on a clear day in 1810 when a group of fur trappers prepared for their usual hard day's work. The men were camped at the banks of the Jefferson River close to what is now the state of Montana. They checked if their guns and traps were all in order. Some men oiled the metal jaws of the beaver traps, just to make sure that they clamped shut when the fateful moment of a beaver stepping in the middle, would happen. Some primed their rifles mixing the gunpowder and dropping iron balls into their barrels for a shot that they prayed they wouldn't, but would probably need.