The greatest mountain man was born on this day in 1798 in Bainbridge, NY. Jedediah Smith went west at age 24 to become a fur trapper. He joined William Ashley’s Rocky Mountain Fur Company. One his first expedition, up the Missouri River, he distinguished himself in a battle with Arikara Indians. It would not be the last time he fought Indians. In 1823, he led a dozen trappers into the Black Hills to try to find new beaver and otter lands. He was surprised by a grizzly bear which jumped on him, breaking several ribs. The bear took Smith’s head in his jaws, ripping off his scalp and one ear. When the bear left, one of Smith’s men sewed his scalp and ear back on. He wore his hair long from then on to cover the scars. After recovering, he rediscovered South Pass in Wyoming. It was the easiest way to drive a wagon through the Rockies and became part of the Oregon Trail. He explored the Great Salt Lake area and the Colorado Plateau. He was the first to cross the southwest to enter California. In 1827, his party was ambushed at a Colorado River crossing. The Mohave Indians killed 10 of his 18 men and captured the two women. One year later, 15 of 19 were killed by Klawatset Indians in Oregon. After experiences like those, he decided to settle down and become a trader on the Santa Fe Trail. But in 1831, he and another went off searching for water for his wagon train and never returned. They were killed by a Comanche war party.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/mountain-man-jedediah-smith-is-born
https://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-jedediahsmith/
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