NARRATIVE: The mountain man era was one of the most interesting periods during the opening of the West. These men had a strong desire for adventure and seeing what few had seen before. They came from many diverse backgrounds and temperaments. It was a lonely life for much of the time and not for the faint of heart. This period was very brief, roughly 1820 to mid 1840s. It was like the trail drive era, only a little more than twenty years. What years they were!

This piece focuses on a man who was truly exceptional in many ways. Jedidiah Smith was born in 1799 in Bainbridge, New York. His family was a devout Christian family and they raised their son with an unshakable faith in the God of the Bible. So much so, he carried a Bible with him wherever his travels took him. Eventually the family moved to St. Louis, Missouri and it was there in 1822 when young Jed responded to an ad in the Missouri Gazette looking for "One Hundred Enterprising Young Men" to explore and trap in the Rocky Mountains. Smith responded and was hired. So, the adventure began! Smith started up the Missouri on the keelboat Enterprise which sank three weeks into the journey. Smith and the other men waited at the site of the wreck for a replacement boat. They spent their time hunting and foraging for food. Another boat came later with additional supplies. He’d been a mountain man for three weeks! This was the beginning of his career as a mountain man.

Smith’s skills in finding his way through unknown territory served him well. He discovered a part of the trail that would become South Pass, a key travel route for people heading West. He also discovered the Great Salt Lake and the first overland trail to California. He was one of a few literate mountain men and, as a result, we have his 1826 and 1827 journals that document his first and second expeditions to California. Reading these journals reveals all that he and the men who accompanied him went through as they explored and trapped the West. A map of his travels is truly a marvel to look at. This was his calling and he embraced it with all that was in him. He died leading a wagon train on the Santa Fe Trail in 1831 at age 32.

The strength of faith and character in Jedediah Smith drew me to him as a subject. I have depicted Jedidiah with a big smile as he rides toward a friendly face. His rifle is held high, his horse moving at full speed. The trappings of the piece are most interesting. A powder horn and possibles bag hangs over his shoulder. His Bible would have been carried in the bag. A second powder horn is hung over the saddle horn. His saddle is very typical of the mountain men of that era. His capote, a heavy wool coat, is tied in front of his saddle. He wears buckskins and moccasins he made himself. A simple bridle and snaffle bit are on his horse. This is a very happy piece as Jed Smith rides hard filled with "The Joy of a Friend!"

This is a brand new piece created specifically to debut at this show.