Thomas L. Smith
Peg Leg Smith Monument | |
---|---|
Location | Henderson Canyon Road Anza-Borrego Desert State Park |
Coordinates | 33°17′46″N 116°17′53″W / 33.2961°N 116.2981°W |
Designated | October 11 ,1960 |
Reference no. | 750 |
Thomas Long "Pegleg" Smith (October 10, 1801 – October 1866) was a
Life
Born in
Smith later accompanied Alexandre Le Grand's expedition into New Mexico as a scout,[5] later learning several Native American languages. During the expedition he was shot in the right knee by a local Indian; the wound and resulting infection forced the amputation of Smith's right leg below the knee; it is said that he performed the operation himself, almost completing it before passing out from blood loss and shock. He then had to use a wooden leg from which he later earned his nickname. He also learned how to remove his leg and did that to defend himself during fights.[6] Following the expedition, Smith became a successful fur trapper despite his handicap, later relearning how to maintain his balance while riding a horse.[4]
By 1840, with the decline of the
Smith traveled to the Chocolate Mountains (and possibly the Santa Rosa Mountains, or the Borrego Badlands) where, after several years of prospecting, he was forced, by local tribes, to escape the area.[8] Claiming he had discovered a large amount of gold-bearing quartz, Smith sold maps and claims to other prospectors of a mine known as the Lost Pegleg Mine until his death in a San Francisco hospital in 1866.[8]
In popular culture
Each year the Pegleg Smith Liars Contest is held at California's Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.[9]
Actor
Peg Leg Smith is mentioned in Pulitzer Prize-Winning author Robert Lewis Taylor's 1978 historical novel "A Roaring in the Wind"
Peg-Leg Smith is mentioned in Louis L'Amour's historic novel "The Lonesome Gods."
Smith appears in the 1995 computer game Oregon Trail II as the owner and operator of Smith's Trading Post near Big Hill and the Idaho/Wyoming Border. [11] Travelers can purchase supplies from his post and interact with him on the trail nearby.
See also
References
- ISBN 978-1479160747.
- ^ "Peg Leg Smith Monument # 452". Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
- ^ Hornswogglers, Fourflushers & Snake-Oil Salesmen
- ^ a b "Sketches from the Life of Peg-Leg Smith," Hutchings' Illustrated California Magazine, Vol. V, no. 5 (November 1860), 203–204
- ISBN 0806117028
- ^ Trimble, Marshall (2017-02-22). "Peg Leg Smith and His Lost Gold Mine". True West Magazine. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
- ^ ISBN 0816040400
- ^ ISBN 1560445467
- ^ Borrego Springs Liars Contest
- IMDb
- ^ Big Hill Route Marker