Jedediah Strong Smith
Jedediah Strong Smith Overview
From May to June 1827, Jedediah Smith, explorer, and trapper found a route from California’s central valley to the Great Salt Lake Valley in Utah.
He became the first European American to completely cross what is now Nevada.
Since Smith’s journal and map have never been found, his exact route is unknown.
Category
- Person
- Trapping
Marker Type
Blue marker
Nevada Historical Marker Number
Jedediah Strong Smith is Nevada Historical Marker #84.
Click here to view the full list of Nevada State Historical Markers.
County
GPS Coordinates
39.291445 -114.837921
Nevada Historical Marker Transcription
From May to June 1827, explorer and trapper Jedediah Smith found a route from California’s central valley to the Great Salt Lake Valley in Utah. He became the first European American to completely cross what is now Nevada.
Because Smith’s journal and map have never been found, his exact route is unknown. Based on Smith’s own statements about his difficult trip, modern historians and geographers have pieced together the most plausible route. Smith crossed the Sierra Nevada at Ebbetts Pass, swung southeast along or across the headwaters and middle reaches of the Walker River, and passed into central Nevada’s open spaces south of Walker Lake.
Smith entered Smoky Valley on its southwest side in June 1827 and crossed the valley in a northeasterly direction. He then paralleled the future Simpson survey, route of the Pony Express and Overland Stage, along modern U.S. Highway 50.
He entered Utah at Ibapah.
STATE HISTORICAL MARKER NO. 84
STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE
WHITE PINE PUBLIC MUSEUM, INC.
References Used
Jedediah Strong Smith