George Nidever

George Nidever
Born(1802-12-20)December 20, 1802
Tennessee, U.S.
DiedMarch 24, 1883(1883-03-24) (aged 80)
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)explorer, fur trapper, memoirist and sailor

George Nidever (also spelled Nidiver; December 20, 1802 – March 24, 1883) was an American mountain man, explorer, fur trapper, memoirist and sailor. In the 1830s he became one of the first wave of American settlers to move to Mexican California, where he made his living in fur trapping. In 1853 he led the expedition that rescued Juana Maria, the last member of the Nicoleño people, from San Nicolas Island where she had been living alone for eighteen years. Toward the end of his life Nidever wrote a memoir, Life and Adventures of George Nidever, which was popular at the end of the 19th century.