June 24, 1798... Birthday of Jedediah Strong Smith
Jededah Strong Smith, trader and western explorer, was born June 24, 1798, at Bainbridge, New York. He received a fair English education and became at 13 a clerk on a Lake Erie freighter. Sometime between 1816 and 1822 Smith came to St. Louis. He was on the upper Missouri with General William Henry Ashley in 1823. In the summer of 1826 Ashley sold his Rocky Mountain trade to Smith, David E. Jackson, and William L. Sublette.
Smith's plan to go north from California into Oregon in 1826 was thwarted by the suspicious governor of California. Smith had led his party from the Great Salt Lake and entered California from the Mohave Desert. Taking his men back across the mountains, he then went east and north to the valley of King's River. In February 1827 he failed in an attempt to cross the mountains. Moving farther north to the American River, he made camp for his main party. With two companions he set out in May and crossed the peaks. Not happening on the Humboldt River, Smith had to track back to the Salt Lake over the desert. About a month later he started over the previous year's trail with eighteen men, but Mohave Indians attacked and killed ten. Smith drove on with the remaining eight and finally reached the Mission San Gabriel where he obtained a few necessities. Returning to the camp on the American, he found his party beyond his help. Smith then returned himself over to Governor Echeandia, finally obtaining permission to buy supplies and leave the country. After wintering in the Sacramento Valley, Smith turned northwest in April 1828 and June 8 arrived at the Klamath River mouth. July 14 Umpqua Indians massacred all his men except two, Smith and John Turner took the Williamette route to Fort Vancouver, where they found the third survivor, Arthur Black. In March 1829 Smith went up the river to Spokane and to Pierre's Hole. Smith retired from the Rocky Mountain trade and May 27 was killed by hostile Comanches at a water hole near Cimarron.
Smith's Diaries are invaluable, and John G. Neihardt has memorialized the gallant explorer in his narrative poem, "Song of Jed Smith."
Page one and two from John G. Neihardt's original manuscript, "The Song of Jed Smith." For primary source material see…