Jed Smith - Encounter with the Umpqua

By John J. Law

The men wore fur hats and other clothes fashioned from animal skins. They were reasonably armed with Hawking rifles and pistols for firearms. Some of the men were also armed with knives axes, and hatchets. They also had a sufficient supply of ammunition but it was clear that the men would rather not have to use their weapons if they could afford it. The men were mostly white Protestants, early settlers of this relatively young country. They had come to these wild parts to trap and hunt for animal furs and make their dangerous living. 
The men were mountain men, and they were quite weary. They had already seen their fair share of dangerous encounters from native Indians and wildlife.
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: J.C. Hulsey Books
• Release date: Dec 6, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223744894

Book preview

Chapter One: The Weary Mountain Men

The first rays of the morning sun were starting to pierce through the clouds on the 14th of July, 1848. The rays of the sun struggled through a vaporous fog, finally reflecting on the relatively calm waters of the Umpqua river in Southwestern Oregon. The rays of sunlight were not the only things that came through the early morning fog that morning. Several human figures came through the fog. They rode their horses slowly and deliberately. Their hunched shoulders and slow riding pace indicated a very weary group of men.

The men wore fur hats and other clothes fashioned from animal skins. They were reasonably armed with Hawking rifles and pistols for firearms. Some of the men were also armed with knives axes, and hatchets. They also had a sufficient supply of ammunition but it was clear that the men would rather not have to use their weapons if they could afford it. The men were mostly white Protestants, early settlers of this relatively young country. They had come to these wild parts to trap and hunt for animal furs and make their dangerous living.

The men were mountain men, and they were quite weary. They had already seen their fair share of dangerous encounters from native Indians and wildlife and were making their way to Fort Vancouver where they hoped they could get a fair trade for the fruits of their dangerous labors. The men hoped to get more horses, supplies and some much needed respite from the constant threats that their livelihood often presented them with.

The mountain men were more than familiar with danger and uncertainty. The men had made their way through the American West for most of two years now. Their journey had begun in St. Louis and they had trekked through the Salt Lake and Mojave deserts, the Sierra Nevadas and up from Southern California to Northern California and finally here, to Oregon. The long journey had brought much peril upon the relatively small group of around twenty mountain men. They had encountered hostile native Indians, some wildlife attacks, and even some brushes with Mexican government officials. The men's number had also been cut down by a vicious encounter with the Mojave tribe. The men on the journey now were the survivors of that harrowing encounter, and many more. As they had moved up and along their journey, the native tribes had become less and less friendly. The men noticed that more of the tribes were less inclined to trade, and more eager to fight. None of the men were inclined to get into any kind of scuffle or encounter, if they could avoid it. The men simply wanted to get to Fort Vancouver and make some kind of a profit and recharge and resupply.

The small group had now entered Umpqua territory. The Umpqua valley was so named because of the tribe of the same name that resided there. The Umpqua had lived in this region