Trapper burial site to be honored(Jedediah Smith)

In 1828 Jedediah Smith's trapping party of 19 men were attacked at the mouth of the Smith river. 15 were killed and some months after the massacre a Hudson Bay brigade sent by John McLoughlin recovered most of the trade goods and beaver pelts taken, and buried the skeletons of the men who had been left to rot. Recently cadaver sniffing dogs pinpointed the actual location of the mass burial and a monument has been erected to honor the Smith party dead.

The dedication for the new monument will be held this Saturday near Reedsport, Oregon. I plan to be there to honor those brave souls and represent the Oregon Trappers' Association.

Uplifting news there Beaverpeeler.

Build a campfire, spend the night and listen to the voices in the Wind.

The facts of the situation makes it a sad day for those that are a piece of history But it is recconized for hat those facts are It is god to have this info ouut in the open

And of course a representative for the confederated tribes says he won't attend and why are we honoring white men that were unwanted trespassers to his ancestors lands?

Great to hear those men will be remembered.

Take some pictures.

Good share BP

The mouth of the Smith river in California, just south of the Oregon border. Why is the memorial in Reedsport?

Two Smith Rivers.

One north of Crescent City, CA.

The other a tributary of the Umpqua at Reedsport, OR.

w

Thanks! I had no idea he had 2 rivers named after him!

Yes, the Smith river comes into the Umpqua just a couple of miles upstream from the ocean. Jedediah and two other escaped the massacre because they were upriver on the Smith looking for the best possible route to the Willamette valley. Keep in mind they were driving 300 head of horses and mules and so finding the best possible route was very important.

Wow. It's amazing the dogs could still trigger on the scent after close to 200 years.

I've got to admit I did not know that was even a remote possibility. From what I read the probable route and camp site on the Smith river was mapped out by some guys (Jedediah Smith historical society) that really haves studied up on all the journals, etc and then a cadaver sniffing dog was brought out and had a hit right on the spot they figured could be the potential burial area.

The mostly skeletal remains had been buried about 3-4 months after the attack.

What about us injuns ? A lot of Indians got bent over here in Oregon in them days

I'm entirely sympathetic to the cause of the native Americans. They got a raw deal. But in this particular case the Indians involved were primarily interested in stealing the trappers' goods and figured they could get away with it because these were "Boston men" not British. They pretended friendship and were admitted into camp but had knives and war clubs concealed under their robes and suddenly attacked. It was pure unadulterated treachery...something that the mountain men were not very accustomed to with the mountain and plains tribes.

Didn't know we had "demo crat" injuns here back then.

good story yes take pic,

Quite a story of what happened there and that was his second trip to the west coast. The fact that McLaughlin even helped him, being basically an enemy trader, was remarkable.

Smith himself was killed by Comanches a couple years later on the Cimmaron river in what is today Oklahoma.

In some cases the natives got a raw deal and in just as many cases they got what they deserved. This was one case where they simply decided they were going to kill the white men and take their belongings. That's what they did to other indian tribes so it was nothing new. Smith had told the men under no circumstances do not let them into camp while he was gone. But they were very shifty and managed to infiltrate the camp.

Yep. Indians were not morally superior people. Nothing was done to them that Indians were not doing to each other. Ultimately they lost and were displaced. Technology did them in. If they had ships and guns battles would have been fought in Europe and the outcome may have been different. Its one thing to recognize their right to live,
be equal under the law, and quite another to promote the idea Indians deserve welfare because their ancestors lost the war.

One of the versions I read of the story supposed that as Smith was a Bible-toting man he would not have approved of his men consorting with the Indian ladies. They might have been taking advantage of his absence thinking they might do a little "trading". Which is why they defied his "keep the Indians out of camp" order. The only man that actually survived the attack itself was Arthur Black who escaped into the woods and made his way along the northern Oregon coast and on to the Hudson Bay fort on the Columbia.

Thankfully, second in command Roger's expedition journal was recovered near present day Coquille and was saved for posterity, or most of what we know of the second expedition would have been lost.

Off to the dedication. Am thinking to smear a small dab of Backbreaker on the monument to honor them guys. One of those "beaver trapper to beaver trapper things".

I've promoted the book, "David Thompson's Narrative" before, while discussing these subjects.

It is a must read for every trapper or north American historian.

One thing I found very interesting, is that among Indian tribes, there was most definitely NOT, one moral code or general idea of ethics.
Their ethics ranged from valuing treachery, all the way to having a moral code that was very similar to that of the Judeo/Christian tradition. And these various ethics were in existence from before the European, Christian missionaries arrival.

You're absolutely right Waggler. A lot of times us whites condemned horse thieving redskins, but for most of the tribes it was an absolute feather in the cap to steal another tribe's horses.

The monument. Smeared a bit of Backbreaker on the other side.

This is the spot where Jedediah’s men are buried. (I think).

They re-did the historical marker a few years ago with imput from the confederated tribes that own the nearby gambling casino. What they classify as a “skirmish” was actually a brazen massacre. The trappers didn’t have a chance.

Looks like a beautiful place. Thanks for the pictures.

This is the Smith river. On July 14th 1828 the party had just crossed over to the north bank with a herd of about 300 horses and mules and we’re drying out their belongings while Jed and two others went upstream to scout out the best way forward to the Willamette valley.
Lower Umpqua (Kuiitch) Indians entered the camp under friendly pretenses but with knives and war clubs concealed in their cloaks. Suddenly the outnumbered trappers were attacked by a horde of screeching natives. The lone survivor, Arthur Black saved himself by swinging his rifle like a club and the running off into the brush.

You did what??? smeared Backbreaker on the grave?? now every critter that comes by is going to (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) on the grave. LOL

The monument is probably 300 yards on the road shoulder from the actual burial site.

Very cool beaverpeeler, thanks for the share

Well done BP.

Agreed! If I ever get out that way this place will be a must see.

Thanks for sharing’ peeler! Emotional connection for sure, as anyone enjoying our trapping pursuits today, appreciates the early fur-trade years.

Nice. Enjoyed reading this.

Glad you guys enjoyed it. I expected to run into Jed Smith Society folks and a small gathering but I was there early (noon) and nobody else was around. The dedication time was not posted in the news release I saw so it must have been later in the day. I couldn't stick around since I had to pick up my Farmers Market booth 100 miles away from there.

Beaverpeeler I think someone was messing with your backbreaker ! Its not in the same spot. I had to go down and see the memorial today, was out camping with the wife.



Seen around 60 head of elk in a couple hurds on our way west.




Checked out a couple boat ramps too.

Did you check out the boat ramps on the Smith or Umpqua?

Glad to see another trapper stop by to honor those guys!

I looked at Noel ranch and the other one up river from there. Where the school used to be. I think I left you a note on your truck about ten years ago at one of those places. I had a lion in a trap and was hoping for help on the release.

Must of been somebody else's truck. Don't recall ever getting that note. No scratches then?

Looks like a peaceful spot for a man to rest his bones until the Trump sounds.