Archives West Finding Aid

Sidney Smith was born in Amsterdam, New York, on October 2, 1809. In his youth, he worked in the salt works in Syracuse, New York, where "he developed the strength and endurance which served him in good stead as a pioneer" (Dobbs 111). He moved to Ohio in 1833. In 1839 he joined a group of men, known as the Peoria Party, and they headed off on a quest to settle the Oregon Territory. They were among the first people to travel on what would become the Oregon Trail. The sixteen men organized their group along military line, and named themselves the Oregon Dragoons. Their leader was Thomas J. Farnham, a lawyer from Peoria.

The expedition did not go well, with continuous storms and food shortages. There was a considerable amount of in-fighting in the Peoria Party, and several of the original members turned back. Smith complicated matters by accidentally shooting himself with his own rifle during one of the arguments, which resulted in several broken ribs. The group then had to find ways to carry to injured Smith during the remainder of the journey, which became another point of contention.

The group eventually split, with some siding with Farnham and some with Robert Shortess, a man who had joined the group in Independence, Missouri. Sidney Smith rode on with the Farnham group. He eventually made it to The Dalles, alone, in September of 1839, being one of the few of his original party to actually make it to their intended destination. In the end, only nine of the original members of the party made it to Oregon, although many of those nine did stay permanently and became important citizens in the new territory.

Upon arriving in Oregon, Smith stayed with another early pioneer, Ewing Young. When Young died without heirs in 1841, Smith bought his land and herd of cattle for about $300. Young’s death also played a role in encouraging the American settlers in the area to start a settler-run government, which was eventually created during the May 2, 1843 meeting at Champoeg. During that meeting, Smith voted for the creation of the government and was elected one of the three captains.

A few years later, Smith went to pursue gold in the fields of California, and was able to collect $3,000 worth of gold dust before being forced home due to scurvy. He became very successful, eventually settling in Lafayette as a merchant. His family prospered, and they were left well off when he died on September 18, 1880. He is buried in the Masonic cemetery in Lafayette.

On August 2, 1845, Sidney Smith married Mianda Bailey, the daughter of newly arrived settlers who stayed with Smith while they acquired a claim for themselves. They had five children: Irene, Almira, Mianda, Gustavus, and John U. John U. Smith graduated from Pacific University in 1888, and it was he who presented his father's diaries to his alma mater.

Information taken from: Hafen, LeRoy R. To the Rockies and Oregon: 1839-1842. Glendale, Claifornia: Arthur H. Clark Co., 1955.

Dobbs, Caroline C. Men of Champoeg. Portland: Metropolitan Press, 1932.