THE ARTS
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Zenas Leonard
Zenas Leonard was a mountain man, but he was born a farm boy in Pennsylvania in 1809. At age 21 Leonard left the farm and hiked to Pittsburgh where he briefly worked for a merchant uncle before heading to St. Louis. In April 1831, Zenas Leonard was hired as a clerk for the Gantt and Blackwell fur trapping and trading company. Unfortunately, the company soon dissolved, and Leonard set out on his own for the fur trapping routes. For the next four years, Leonard was one of the hardy breed of Rocky Mountain free trappers. His account of his exploits was published in 1839 as Narrative of The Adventures of Zenas Leonard. In 1832, Zenas Leonard trapped throughout the Northern Rockies and Big Horn Basin. At the 1833 rendezvous Leonard met Benjamin Bonneville and was hired to join Joseph Walker’s expedition to the west. With Walker’s party, Leonard crossed the Sierras, was among the first whites to see Yosemite Valley, and reached Monterey, the capital of Alta California, in 1833. In crossing the Sierra, the Walker company ate their horse to survive. Leonard commented that “we were driven to extremes and had either to do this or die.” On another occasion, when stranded by a blizzard, the expedition was forced to consume the only food they had available -- their beaver skin pelts. Upon arriving in the lush California valleys, Leonard pointedly wrote about eating grizzly bears and how the fat bear meat was understandably good eating in comparison. After these life and death encounters, observing a giant Sequoia tree provided little excitement. Zenas Leonard commented matter-of-factly about them, noting “In the last few days we have found some trees of the Redwood species, incredibly large -- some of which would measure from 16 to 18 fathom around the trunk at the height of a man’s head from the ground.” In 1834, the Walker expedition returned eastward, crossing the Sierra by way of what is now called Walker’s Pass, and rejoined Bonneville. Leonard trapped in the Yellowstone region in the winter of 1834 - 1835 and returned to Independence, Missouri, in August 1835. Zenas Leonard established a store and trading post at Fort Osage on the Missouri River. There he began compiling his journal notes. Based upon diaries and reconstructed memories, Leonard published his account in the Clearfield, Pennsylvania, Republican newspaper. The publisher expanded Leonard's reminiscence into a book length manuscript in 1839. Narrative of The Adventures of Zenas Leonard is considered the best account of the Walker expedition extant. For that reason alone, the journal would be valuable. But Leonard's eyewitness descriptions of the mountain man attitudes and activities make the book especially useful. In expressing the spirit of enterprise and risk-taking incumbent in the search for furs, Leonard’s Narrative of The Adventures of Zenas Leonard is without equal. The publisher claimed the incidents presented were not exaggerated, but were, in his words, examples of the “ ... hardships, privations, and dangers as ... must necessarily be encountered.” If true, the life of mountain man Zenas Leonard must have been an exciting one indeed. Leonard operated his trading operation on the Missouri River for the remainder of his life. He died in 1857. He was 48 years old.
Zenas Leonard “The mountain was extremely steep and difficult to descend …” In two or three days we arrived at the brink of the mountain. This at first was a happy sight, but when we approached close, it seemed to be so near perpendicular that it would be folly to attempt a descent. In looking on the plain below with the naked eye, you have one of the most singular prospects in nature; from the great height of the mountain the plain presents a dim yellow appearance; - but on taking a view with the spy glass we found it to be a beautiful plain stretched out towards the west until the horizon presents a barrier to the sight. From the spot where we stood to the plain beneath, must at least be a distance of three miles, as it is almost perpendicular, a person cannot look down without feeling as if he was wafted to and fro in the air, from the giddy height. A great many were the surmises as to the distance and direction to the nearest point of the Pacific. Captain Walker, who was a man well acquainted with geography, was of the opinion that it was not much further than we could see with the aid of our glass, as the plain had the appearance of a sea shore. Here we encamped for the night, and sent men out to discover some convenient passage down towards the plain - who returned after an absence of a few hours and reported that they had discovered a pass or Indian trail which they thought would answer our purpose, and also some signs of deer and bear, which was equally as joyful news - as we longed to have a taste of some palatable food. The next morning after pursuing our course a few miles along the edge of the mountain top we arrived at the path discovered by our men, and immediately commenced the descent, gladly leaving the cold and famished region of snow behind. The mountain was extremely steep and difficult to descend, and the only way we could come any speed was by taking a zigzag direction, first climbing along one side and then turning to the other, until we arrived at a ledge or precipice of rocks, of great height, and extending eight or ten miles along the mountain - where we halted and sent men in each direction to ascertain if there was any possibility of getting over this obstruction. In the afternoon of the same day our men returned without finding any safe passage thro' the rocks - but one man had succeeded in killing a small deer, which he carried all the way to camp on his back - this was dressed, cooked and eat in less time than a hungry wolf would devour a lamb. This was the first game larger than a rabbit we had killed since the 4th of August when we killed the last buffaloe near the Great Salt Lake, and the first we had eat since our dried meat was exhausted, (being 14 days,) during which time we lived on stale and forbidden horse flesh. I was conscious that it was not such meat as a dog would feast on, but we were driven to extremes and had either to do this or die. It was the most unwholesome as well as the most unpleasant food I ever eat or ever expect to eat - and I hope that no other person will ever be compelled to go through the same. It seemed to be the greatest cruelty to take your rifle, when your horse sinks to the ground from starvation, but still manifests a desire and willingness to follow you, to shoot him in the head and then cut him up & take such parts of their flesh as extreme hunger alone will render it possible for a human being to eat. This we done several times, and it was the only thing that saved us from death. 24 of our horses died since we arrived on top of the mountain - 17 of which we eat the best parts. When our men returned without finding any passage over the rocks, we searched for a place that was as smooth and gradual in the descent as possible, and after finding one we brought our horses, and by fastening ropes round them let them down one at a time without doing them any injury. After we got our horses and baggage all over the rocks we continued our course down the mountain, which still continued very steep and difficult. The circumstance of one of our men killing a deer greatly cheered the languid spirits of our hunters, and after we got safely over the rocks several of the men started out on search of game, although it was then near night. The main body continued on down until we arrived at some green oak bushes, where we encamped for the night, to wait for our hunters, - who returned soon after dark well paid for their labour, having killed two large black tailed deer and a black bear, and all very fat and in good eating order. This night we passed more cheerful and in better heart than any we had spent for a long time. Our meat was dressed and well cooked, and every man felt in good order to partake of it. In descending the mountain this far we have found but little snow, and began to emerge into a country which had some signs of vegetation - having passed thro' several groves of green oak bushes, &c. The principal timber which we came across, is Red-Wood, White Cedar and the Balsom tree. We continued down the side of the mountain at our leisure, finding the timber much larger and better, game more abundant and the soil more fertile. Here we found plenty of oak timber, bearing a large quantity of acorns, though of a different kind from those taken from the Indian on the mountain top. In the evening of the 30th we arrived at the foot or base of this mountain - having spent almost a month in crossing over. Along the base of this mountain it is quite romantic - the soil is very productive - the timber is immensely large and plenty, and game, such as deer, elk, grizzly bear and antelopes are remarkably plenty. - From the mountain out to the plain, a distance varying from 10 to 20 miles, the timber stands as thick as it could grow and the land is well watered by a number of small streams rising here and there along the mountain. In the last two days travelling we have found some trees of the Red-wood species, incredibly large - some of which would measure from 16 to 18 fathoms round the trunk at the height of a man's head from the ground. On the 31st we pursued our course towards the plain in a western direction. - Now, that we had reached a country thickly filled with almost all kinds of game, our men and particularly those fond of hunting, were in fine spirits. This day our company was much scattered, and we could hardly tell which was the main body, as the men were stretched over a large space of ground, all moving within each others hearing towards the plain. After a walk of about fifteen miles we arrived at the margin of the woods, where we concluded to spend the remainder of the day and night. When our men all gathered together it was astonishing to see the quantity of game which they had collected - principally deer and bear.
Zenas Leonard – image credits Narrative book cover - The Narrative of the Adventures of Zenas Leonard, published in The Narrative Press, Santa Barbara, California Original Leonard title page – from Washington, D.C. – Library of Congress Collections  |