Jed Smith was one of the greatest explorers of the West the United States has ever known.

With his pack on his back and his rifle in his hand he started on his way West.

The story of his adventures is an almost incredible one. He was the first American to make his way into California from the East. The first American to travel out of California from the West and cross the Sierra Nevada Mountains. He was the first man to cross the Great Salt Lake Desert. The suffering, hardships, and final achievement seem beyond belief.

This was the man, who as the leader of rough mountain men, never took a drink or used bad language; who read the Bible every night and liked to sing hymns as he rode through the wilderness; who was gentle but could lick any trapper who disobeyed him. It is the true story of Jed Smith.

From the dust jacket