So long! The trail is clear before you,
When the old spring fret comes o’er you,
And the Red Gods call you forth and you must go!
In the afterglow of twilight, tales of wonder find their voice,
Trapping, fighting, robbing, poaching yield a choice:
There’s John Colter’s mighty run and Jim Bridger’s towering fun,
There’s Everts’ five-week fast and Ed Trafton’s crimson past.
There’s George Cowan’s rugged vim; there’s Buckskin Charley,
Beaver Dick and Yankee Jim!
Nez Percé Joseph’s flight and capture will fill each soul with rapture