The Travels of Jedediah Smith: A Documentary Outline Including the Journal of the Great American Pathfinder

Maurice Sullivan’s pioneering work in the 1930s on Jedediah Smith contributed to the rediscovery of the mountain man who was the first American citizen to travel overland to California, to turn eastward and cross the Great Basin, and later to proceed by land from southern California to northern Oregon. Sullivan’s discovery of portions of Smith’s journals was important in piecing together those historical explorations.

The Travels of Jedediah Smith begins with Smith's own sketch of his entry into the fur trade in 1822, when he left St. Louis with an expedition headed by William H. Ashley and Andrew Henry. The book continues with Smith's daily record from June 23,1827, to July 3,1828, dealing with his remarkable journey on foot over the Utah desert, his second visit to California and his trip to Oregon. Those who enjoyed The Southwest Expedition of Jedediah S. Smith, also a Bison Book, will want to read about his further adventures in The Travels of Jedediah Smith. Sullivan has supplied continuity that fills out Smith's career. Included is the diary of the fur trader Alex R. McLeod, describing events during the Hudson's Bay Company expedition in 1828 to recover Jedediah Smith's property after the massacre of some in his party on the Umpqua River in Oregon.