The Journal of San Diego History
SAN DIEGO HISTORICAL SOCIETY QUARTERLY
Fall 1990, Volume 36, Number 4
Richard W. Crawford, Editor
Book Notes
The Southwest Expeditions of Jedediah Smith: His Personal Account of the Journey to California, 1826-1827
Edited, with an introduction by George R. Brooks. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, Bison Books, 1989. Maps. Index. 259 pages. $8.50
Reviewed by Gregg R. Hennessey.
This is a reprint of the 1977 edition published by Arthur H. Clark of Smith’s long lost journal recounting his trek through the Southwest to California and back again to Utah. This edition makes Smith’s important record available to a larger readership. Included are Smith’s observations of the missions and countryside as he traveled from San Gabriel to San Diego where Gov. José María Echeandía detained him for about four weeks thinking he might be a spy. The book is thoroughly annotated. Also, it is cross-referenced to the “Daybook” of Harrison G. Rogers, a member of Smith’s party, which is reprinted in this volume.
