Jedediah Strong Smith (January 6, 1799 – May 27, 1831), was a
hunter,
trapper,
fur trader,
trailblazer,
author,
cartographer, and
explorer of the
Rocky Mountains, the North American
West and the
Southwest during the early 19th century. After 75 years of obscurity following his death, Smith was rediscovered as the American whose explorations led to the use of the -wide
South Pass as the dominant point of crossing the
Continental Divide for
pioneers on the
Oregon Trail.