Soldier, explorer, trapper, and trail guide Jim Clyman was known for his dry humor, outstanding character, and for having the soul of a poet. Born February 1, 1792, Clyman grew up on a Virginia farm leased from George Washington. By his teens, the young man’s wanderlust grew.
“The human mind can never be satisfied…always on the search for something new, some strange novelty,” Clyman wrote—and he lived up to those words.
After fighting in the War of 1812, Clyman signed on with the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. He trapped, traded, explored, and survived a grizzly bear attack in which Jedediah Smith was severely mauled. Clyman was the only one brave enough to reattach Smith’s ear!
In 1826, Clyman and three others circumnavigated the Great Salt Lake in canoes, proving the body of water did not let out into the Pacific. In 1835, he headed north on a two-man expedition. His partner died in an Indian attack, and though he was wounded, Clyman escaped. In 1846, Clyman advised his army buddy James Reed of the Donner-Reed party to take the established route to California, rather than the shortcut. Reed did not listen and suffered horrific circumstances. Jim Clyman ultimately settled in California and died in Napa County in 1881.