Jedediah Smith killed near here.

Jedediah Smith Killed Here

Ulysses, Kansas

Jedediah Smith was one of the toughest frontiersmen and trail guides who had ever lived -- he once had his friends sew his face back on after being half-eaten by a bear -- but by 1831 he was 32 years old and ready to retire. He had just one last trip to make, along the Old Santa Fe Trail, and that's where he was killed. A small bronze plaque on a concrete pedestal marks the approximate death spot (His body was never found). A large adjacent sign states that Smith was "lost and without water for four days" before he was "killed by Comanches just as he reached the river."

Also see: Men Vs. Bears

Jedediah Smith Killed Here

Address:: Hwy 25, Ulysses, KS
Directions:: On the southbound side of Hwy 25, either 12.5 miles south of US Hwy 160 in Ulysses, or 14.5 miles north of US Hwy 56 in Hugoton. There's a roadside pulloff. Smith's small marker is to the right of the large "Wagon Bed Springs" sign.
Admission:: Free

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