Butchery of the Mountain Man

PREFACE

In 1923, which is two years before this writing, I undertook the task of putting together a scholarly tome on the Vanguards of Western Expansion. Heroes, Trappers, Indian Fighters, Explorers, Scouts, and Adventurers were to be my subjects, but I faced the immediate problem of deciding who should be the focus of my study. I had many to choose from: Kit Carson, John C. Frémont, James Bridger, Jedediah Smith, Arthur “Preacher” Gregory (though the last name is uncertain), Kirby “Smoke” Jensen, Matt Jensen, Ian MacCallister, his son Falcon MacCallister, a cousin, Duff MacCallister, and John “Liver-Eating” Jackson. Most will agree that all warrant their own book, and in many cases those books have, indeed, already been written.

But the decision was made for me when I realized that as of October 1923, the time I began the project, one of the most storied of all the aforementioned heroes, Smoke Jensen, was still alive. Furthermore, my initial investigation led me to the inescapable fact that Smoke Jensen and John Jackson were not only friends, but shared the incredible adventure of Liver-Eating Jackson’s personal war with the Apsáalooke, or, as they are more popularly known, Crow Indians. The decision was made. I would write about Smoke Jensen and John Jackson. I contacted Smoke Jensen and brought him to the University of Colorado, where, by making use of the magic of voice recording, I was able to extract the story herein presented to the reader.

Mr. Jensen proved to be an excellent storyteller, and I apologize to those readers who must absorb this account from the printed page while I was able to actually hear the story from his own mouth. And, because of the transformative power of Mr. Jensen’s spoken words, I was miraculously transported back in time to actually witness the events described here.

Discerning readers will soon realize that Jensen possesses the knack for noting and relating details, which is the prime ingredient of the storyteller’s art. He has preserved a detailed picture of how things were in the century previous. The varied roles he played during his active career involved him in so many different activities that his own life story constitutes a fair approach to an encyclopedia of life on the American frontier.

Quite apart from its informational value, Smoke Jensen’s story provides grand entertainment for the general reader. The scholar, however, intent upon reconstructing accurately the life of the past, will naturally ask how faithfully Smoke Jensen has recorded it.

Smoke Jensen’s memory is quite detailed and astonishing. He can recall all the interesting experiences of his own eventful life, and the day and date of almost everything that has happened in the mountain region within the last sixty years. I have included in this book Jensen’s verbatim accounts, recalled from his personal participation, as well as his recollection of stories relayed to him by his friend John Jackson.

I have also included, at various places through the book, editorial inserts if I believe that I have ex cathedra information that will enhance the readers’ appreciation of the story herein told.

Jacob W. Armbruster, Ph.D.

Professor of History, University of Colorado

Boulder, Colorado

April 9, 1925