Should've been called Jed's World!!

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	• Jedediah Smith and the Opening of the West (Bison Book) Dale L. Morgan University of Nebraska Press, 1964 - 470 pages average customer review:based on 9 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Should've been called Jed's World!!

I can't really say that Jedediah was "THE" mountain man because so many of the trappers of his era were amazing and had amazing stories to tell. He was, however, one of the most unique. His travels for the purpose of "novelty" expanded the knowledge of the West and placed him in some pretty tight situations with British and Mexican authorities. (The cat and mouse behavior between the Brits and the American trappers was very enlightening.) Jed's encounter with a Grizzly bear was enough to seal his legendary fate. Any man who can ride away from such a terrible mauling is truly a man of steel. He even instructed fellow trappers (Clyman...I believe) how to suture his scalp AND ear back into place after the mauling. He also exhibited a degree of intelligence superior to his cohorts with the exception of a few such as Old Bill Williams and Osborne Russell. Oz was without a doubt the most poetically inclined; whereas, Jed's writing seems to be heavily dosed with religion. Two quotations from this book stike me. The first is a quote from Jed's journal during his first California expedition. Thirsty and hungry, he wrote "My dreams were not of Gold or ambitious honors but of my distant quiet home, of murmuring brooks of Cooling Cascades." It's interesting if you compare the hardships of John Wesley Powell about 40 years later down the Colorado. The perception of the time was of bounties unheard of, springs everywhere for water, and extensive grazing lands for cattle. Seems to me that those folks of J.W. Powell's day would've been served greatly if they had access to Jed's journal. The second quotation sums up Jed's life and his legacy, "...had life been kind to him, the world might have heard much of Jedediah Smith." Unfortunately, his life was short and his contributions were great. Also unfortunately, his story and those of many of his fellow mountain men are not found in today's history classes. This is truly a disadvantage because there are so many undertones occuring in the background of these historic adventures. This book sheds light on some of the history surrounding the era and one of the biggest mountain man icons.

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A masterpiece on a Western giant

Jedediah Strong Smith is a true American hero, though few people have ever heard of him. After Lewis and Clark, he probably explored and mapped more territory in the West than any other man. In the field of exploration he accomplished a series of "firsts" that is truly astounding. Dale Morgan, the premier modern historian on the fur trade period, has written a detailed and exciting biography of this great man.

Smith, born in New York state in 1798, came to St. Louis and answered William Ashley's call for "enterprising young men" to make a fur trapping excursion up the Missouri River in 1822. He helped Andrew Henry construct his fort on the Yellowstone and wintered in the mountains. Returning east, he participated in the fight with the Arikaras who were attacking Ashley's second expedition on the Missouri, and then returned to the mountains overland. It was on this trip that Smith re-discovered South Pass, the easiest grade over the continental divide. It was also around this time that Smith joined the long list of trappers who were mauled by grizzly bears; he survived the attack but had to have his ear sewn back on by Jim Clyman who was also there (Smith wore his hair long over his ears from then on to avoid the stares).

In 1824 he accompanied Alexander Ross of the Hudson's Bay Company on a tour of the country in the northern Rockies. He became a partner of Ashley, and at the Cache Valley rendezvous of 1826, he, along with David E. Jackson and William Sublette, bought out Ashley. Later that year he began his most famous exploring expedition across the Southwest to California (the first American to do so), continuing north through the San Joaquin Valley to the American River. Then Smith and two others trekked across the Great Basin (the first whites to do so), almost dying of thirst, and reached the Bear Lake rendezvous in July 1827, which "caused a considerable bustle in camp, for myself and party had been given up as lost."

At the breakup of the rendezvous, Smith returned to California to rescue the members of his party he had left there. He found his men in the Sierras and then headed north to Oregon. Here disaster struck. On the Umpqua River, Kalawatset Indians attacked Smith's men, killing all but Smith and three others. They made their way to Ft. Vancouver, where they wintered. In 1829 Smith trapped the northern Rockies and then with Jim Bridger in the Blackfoot country. At the Popo Agie rendezvous of 1830, Smith et.al. sold their fur company to the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. He returned to St. Louis and hoped to settle down, but was talked into taking a trading party and goods to Santa Fe. While searching for water on the dry plains of the Cimmaron, Smith was attacked by Comanches and killed. He was only 32 years old.

Not only was Smith an important explorer, but he was a literate man who kept journal notes of his exploits. (His valuable report on his California expedition of 1826-27 was later published.) His reputation was beyond reproach, and the regard that others held for him concerning his leadership abilities, knowledge, and perseverance was supreme. (His men always referred to him as "Mr. Smith" or "Captain.") He was also a devoutly religious man and carried and read a Bible everywhere he went. His opening the South Pass route over the Divide and the knowledge he collected and passed on about California and the Far Northwest did much to encourage emigration. Some consider Jed Smith the greatest of the mountain men, and it would be hard to disagree.

Morgan's biography is tremendous. He leaves no stone unturned in recounting the details of Smith's life and adventures. He writes with great style and authority. His annotations reveal the work of a dedicated scholar. This book is definitely one of the major works dealing not only with a major figure but with the larger field of the mountain men of the 1820's West. Highly recommended.

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OK read

Found it eazy read but not much addition informatiom on J Smith, more about times was disapointed sorry can't recommend

bank on it

I constantly used the reference section of this book and Mr. Morgan [the author] stuck closely to these details when writing his book. If you are interested in the opening of the west US this book will give a good grasp of those times. I especially benefited from understanding the relationship of the Canadian fur trade to that of the American enterprises. The book kept the interest of both my husband and myself, as it was read aloud in it's entirety. I highly recommend the book.

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