The western odyssey of John Simpson Smith : frontiersman and Indian interpreter / by Stan Hoig.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hoig, Stan.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Smith, John Simpson, 1810-1871.

Smith, John Simpson.

Cheyenne Indians--History--19th century.

Cheyenne Indians.

Indians of North America--West (U.S.)--History--19th century.

Indians of North America.

History.

Pioneers--West (U.S.)--Biography.

Pioneers.

Frontier and pioneer life--West (U.S.).

Frontier and pioneer life.

West (U.S.)--History--19th century.

West (U.S.).

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

254 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Norman : University of Oklahoma Press, [2004]

Summary:

Well known to his contemporaries but largely forgotten today, John Simpson Smith (1810-1871) counted among his acquaintances Indian chiefs and United States presidents. During his long and varied career, Smith was a fur trapper, a trader for Charles Bent, and a recognized spokesman for the Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians, with whom he lived much of his life. Smith served as interpreter for major treaty negotiations and accompanied three delegations of chiefs to Washington, D.C., to visit Presidents Fillmore, Lincoln, and Grant. Eyewitness to several major conflicts, Smith was in Black Kettle's camp when it was attacked by troops under Col. John M. Chivington at Sand Creek, Colorado. Smith's mixed-blood son was murdered by U.S. troops, but Smith survived and his affidavit later was used as evidence in congressional and U.S. army hearings. Author Stan Hoig brings Smith and his world to life in The Western Odyssey of John Simpson Smith, the first comprehensive biography of the colorful frontiersman. A new preface highlights Smith's accomplishments and the increasingly elusive West he knew.

Contents:

1 Into the Wilderness 21

2 Bent's Fort Days 41

3 On the Santa Fe Trail 57

4 Talking for the White Father 73

5 Back to Fort Laramie 89

6 On the South Platte 103

7 A Visit with Lincoln and Barnum 123

8 Abraham's Children 137

9 Murder at Sand Creek 151

10 War in Kansas 163

11 The Medicine Lodge Council 179

12 Between Nations 193

13 Beware the Washita 205

14 The Odyssey Ends 217.

Notes:

Originally published: Glendale, Calif. : Arthur H. Clark Co., 1974.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [230]-239) and index.

ISBN:

0806136022

OCLC:

53252980