Smith (Jedediah) Society Collection, 1943-

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Summary

Title:
Jedediah Smith Society Collection,
Dates:
1943-
Creators:
Jedediah Smith Society
Language:
English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Jedediah Smith Society Collection, Mss18, Holt-Atherton Department of Special Collections, University of the Pacific Library

Background

Scope and content:

The Jed Smith Society Collection contains two types of materials: Series 1 consisting of items pertaining to the life of Smith; and, series 2 containing items describing activities of the Society. In the first category are: manuscripts of writings on Jed Smith; biographical and genealogical materials; articles on Smith's explorations; and, correspondence between Society members regarding various aspects of Smith's life. In the second category are: Society minutes; programs; speeches; publications; and, business correspondence.

Biographical / historical:

Jedediah Strong Smith (1799-1831) was the first American citizen to enter California by an overland route. His travels (1821-1831) demonstrated feasible routes across the West to California. Smith trapped first along the Missouri River under William Ashley and Andrew Henry. He rediscovered South Pass, Wyo. (1824), a passageway from the High Plains into the Pacific Northwest. After forming a partnership to trap in the Pacific Coast region with David Jackson and William Sublette, Smith trapped and explored in Central California and Oregon (1827-1828). The partners sold out to the Rocky Mountain Fur Company in 1830 and turned to the Santa Fe trade. Smith was killed by Indians on the Southern Plains the following year.

The Jedediah Smith Society was formed (1957) to promote the reputation of Smith as an important historical figure. It holds regular meetings, publishes a newsletter and promotes publications devoted to the education of the public on this theme.

Physical location:
For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the library's online catalog.
Physical description:
6.25 linear ft.

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Processed by Holt Atherton staff
Date Prepared:
© 1998
Date Encoded:
Machine-readable finding aid derived from paper by means of scanning and OCR; OCR file edited for typographical errors before encoding. Date of source: October 1998-2011.

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Jedediah Smith Society Collection, Mss18, Holt-Atherton Department of Special Collections, University of the Pacific Library

Location of this collection:
University of the Pacific, Holt-Atherton Department of Special Collections, University Library
Stockton, CA 95211, US
Contact:
(209) 946-2404
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