The Western Odyssey of John Simpson Smith: Frontiersman and Indian Interpreter - Tapa blanda

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.

Stan Hoig is Professor Emeritus of Journalism at the University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond.