Jedediah Smith

Smith

From having his head in the mouth of a grizzly bear, to facing attacks with Indians, Jedediah Smith, a fur trapper of the West, was a courageous man. After joining a fur trapping company in St. Louis in 1822, Smith became one of many trappers headed out West. He discovered The Great Salt Lake in Utah, and rediscovered the Oregon Trail, since it had been forgotten for ten years. As he trapped and adventured out West, he demonstrated leadership skills, since he was captain of his group. By living according to biblical principles, he upheld moral character. These qualities of courage, leadership, and biblical principles make Smith my hero.

When half of his scalp and face were almost wholly torn away by a grizzly, Smith amazingly stayed calm as he instructed one of his men to sew his scalp back together. As a leader, he didn’t tolerate stealing, and required obedience. Additionally, Smith was educated and literate, unlike other mountain men. Carrying his worn leather Bible, he read it whenever he could at the evening campfire. Faithfully, he recorded in his journal almost every day the events that happened. Smith was different from the other mountain men. He didn’t smoke, drink or use profanity, even though most other mountain men were known for their rough lifestyle.

To me, Jedediah Smith is a hero because he is an example of staying true to his life as a Christian. Despite being around other mountain men who were known to be coarse and crude, his testimony shone. I, too, desire to stand true to biblical principles in my thoughts, speech and actions. When facing danger and serious injury, he stayed composed. As a leader, he was fair, and treated his men well, which is an example to me of how I should lead other people. In his short life of thirty-two years, he accomplished much before he was killed by Comanche Indians on the Santa Fe Trail on May 27, 1831.