The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-12-26
FOR OLD TRADER.
F. l.. Smith Would Name New
Town Jedediah.
Travels and Death of Early Day
Man Recalled.

Hutchinson. Kan. Dec. 26.-The
Santa Fe Railway company is naming
some of the new towns along the
Colmor extension in memory of charac-
tiers who were famous in the early his
tory of southwestern Kansas.
For instance, Satanic is named af-
ter an Indian warrior who once was a
terror of the plains; Sublette is the
name of a once famous trader along
the Santa Fe trail
There are several more townsites
to be named. one in southwestern
stevens courty, below Hugoton, and
another in the southern part of Morton
county. near the state line. E. l.
Smith. of Meade, suggests that the
Santa Fe should name one of these
new towns Jedediah, in honor of one
of the first traders along the old trail.
On the Old Trail in 1918.
In a letter written to the Santa Fe
company. Mr.. Smith says:
In 1878. Jedediah 5. Smith came
with a trader to the then, Mexican
boundary near old Fort Dodge, or
where il was esta blished later: to be
exact opposite the mouth of the pres
ent Mulberry creek. The trader, dis
appointed in not meeting a Mexican
trading party, left to trade with the
Indians. Smith with two companions
went on to Santa Fe. The following
year Smith reached the Missouri river
via Great Salt Lake and the Platte
river. He went on down to st. Louis.
In 1922. he piloted Becknel with
the first wagons over the trail, again
crossing at the mouth of the Mulberry
camping on Crooked creek, and so on
to Fargo Spring, and to the Upper
Spring Of the Cimarron. The follow
ing year. Smith Joined Ashley in
venture up the Missouri river and on
over into the Columbia basin. In 1924
he was a partner in the business with
Ashley, the firm being Ashley & Smith.
In 1926, Smith, with w. L. Sublette and
D. E. Jackson, bought Ashley's interest
and the firm became the noted one of
Smith, Jackson & Sublette. In that
year QS26) Smith with a company of
trappers crossed the deserts and noun
tains to California via what later was
the southern route.
Across the American Deserts.
THE following year, Smith with two
men crossed the Nevada deserts back
to Salt Lake over the northern route,
and the same year returned TO Cali
foruia via the southern, or Virgin river
route. In 1928 Smith reached Fort
Vancouver on the Columbia river
through what now IS oregon From
there ne returned up the Columbia,
passing Flat Head lake, and so on &c
the TetOns and his partners, east of
the Stony range. In 1929, he sent
Sublette to St. Louis. to organize and
return in the following spring with the
first wagons ever taken over the later
great Oregon trail TO the South Pass.
Finally Killed by Indians.
THE following spring QS31) with his
late partners. he left st. Louis for
Santa Fe with a large and valuable
wagon train. Leaving the wagons to
search out a watering place on the
Cfmarron, he reached what we know
as Fargo Spring where he was attack |
ed by 20 Comanches and killed after 2
desperate battle.
William L. Sublette made his first
trip to Santa Fe in 1881. I think he
did not return again, but believe was
interested in the trade to that place
to some extent Milt Sublette after
that time was something of a charac- /