William H. Ashley was an early fur trader and trapper for whom the Ashley National Forest, including Flaming Gorge National Recreation area, was named. In 1825, Ashley and his party set out to join Jedediah Smith and other mountain men who were successfully trapping beaver along the Green River. After a nearly disastrous boat trip down part of the river, Ashley traded with the Utes for horses, crossed the Uinta Mountains, and finally met Smith and the other trappers on Henry's Fork of the Green River. There, in the summer of 1825, some 1,000 mountain men and Indians traded and celebrated for several days. This began the tradition of the rendezvous, which became an annual event for the next 15 years and marked a colorful chapter in Western history.