This painting was completed either in Baltimore or in Scotland after the 1837 trip west. It was hung at Murthly Castle to remind Stewart of a most joyous moment in the journey, the day the traveling party arrived at the rendezvous. Miller’s later versions of this work present trappers greeting the Scotsman, but this one, painted especially for Stewart, shows two Indians instead. This may have been because Stewart’s favorite part of the Wind River gathering was the Indians rather than the Anglo mountain men. He saw himself as an exemplar of native sentiment and heritage. The trappers were the commercial reason for attending the rendezvous; the Indians were his spiritual reason.
