James Clyman, frontiersman

Clyman joined William H. Ashley's second expedition to the Far West in 1823, was one of the first to cross over South Pass, and explored the region around the Great Salt Lake with William Sublette. In 1844, he went to Oregon, came down into California the following year, returned east with Caleb Greenwood via the Hastings Cutoff (warning westbound travelers including the Donners not to take it), and catching gold fever, returned again to California in 1848. Eventually, he settled permanently in Napa. In 1871, with the help of his diaries, Clyman wrote up his recollections. The reminiscences pertain to the 1823-1824 period and are invaluable for their coverage of the Rocky Mountain fur trade. The overland diary of May 1844 to July 1846 documents his trip via the Oregon Trail to the Willamette Valley and thence to California's Napa Valley. His diary entries give an important picture of northern California on the eve of the American takeover and Gold Rush. The 1846 portion of the diary concludes with a rare west-to-east return trip.