The Splendid Wayfaring: Jedediah Smith and the Ashley-Henry Men, 1822-1831

by John G. Neihardt

With the publication of The Splendid Wayfaring in 1920, John G. Neihardt sought to restore the reputation of a mountain man who went far in opening up the American West. The exciting narrative begins in 1822, when Smith ascended the Missouri River in the first fur-trading expedition of William H. Ashley and Andrew Henry, and ends in 1831, when he was killed by Comanche Indians on the Cimarron River. In the intervening years Smith became the first explorer to recognize South Pass as the gateway to the Far West, the first overlander to reach California and travel up the coast to the Columbia River, and the first white man to cross the Sierra Nevada and the Great Basin from west to east. The Splendid Wayfaring follows in novelistic detail the history-making adventures of Smith and his companions.

290 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1970

About the author

John Gneisenau Neihardt

Reviews

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here's to those intrepid adventurers of 1823, many who disappeared 'leaving no hint of the manner of their passing; and others, bewitched by the wild life and the vast free spaces of the wilderness, who shed, as an uncomfortable coat, the inheritance of ages, lapsing into the primitive, never again to long for the snug comforts and predetermined ways of civilized man." This light history reads like an adventure story from its time, the 1920s. Readers should neither be surprised by its triumphalist tone nor it's use of period idiom.

[Magen Stevenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warning: Not overrun but there is frequent use of the times colloquialisms.

This is an account of the travels of Jedidiah Smith, now forgotten explorer and first non indigenous man to travel across the Great Basin. It is an interesting look into this part of the history of the modern west, originally written in 1920. Well researched for the time, it does have a heavy focus on the Henry-Ashley camps and only a small fraction of focus on Smith himself. Still an important collection.of the known hsitory at the time of writing. An enjoyable read.

[Justice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Initially, I was unimpressed and found the book to be boring and difficult to follow. Then, I remembered the time period it was written, the difference in vernacular, and what a difference that made! While this book does not explicitly talk about Jedediah Smith, it shows a much a bigger picture that he was a part of. Having hiked and camped in some of the areas mentioned in the book, it was fun following along with Smith and company on his adventures in the West! If you are an adventurer or an armchair adventurer, this book should be on your reading list.

[Luciano Mezzetta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Neihardt is a poet. I first read the book 50 years ago and it is still alive. Sorry I mistyped "first" and the google translator translated ," I fist the book 50 years ago ", into Italian. Porco miseria! I hope it has been translated into decent Italian.