James Calvin Sly
Encyclopedia
James C. Sly was a Mormon pioneer
, member of the Mormon Battalion
in the Mexican-American War, scout for early west trails used during the California
gold rush
, journal keeper in 1848 and 1849, early US western settler of several communities, and Mormon missionary
to Canada
.
were still working in California
, but they were anxious to proceed to the Valley of the Great Salt Lake
as soon as a pass should open. According to a previous arrangement a Company of 8 persons started 1 May 1848, Sgt. David Brewett being elected Captain, to pioneer, if possible, a wagon road of the Sierra, Nevada mountains eastward. The Truckee route being impractical at that season of the year.
This company consisted of David Brewett, Captain Ira J. Willis, James C. Sly, Israel Evens, Jacob G. Truman, Esra Allen, J. R. Allred, Henderson Cox and Robert Pixton.
Three days travel brought this Company
to Iron Hill where they found snow so deep they could travel no further, a donkey
belonging to one of the men was completely buried in the snow except his ears. On this occasion, these appendages were not to be despised, ugly and unique as they usually appear. For one of the men got hold of them and dragged Mr. Donkey
out and saved his life. None of that Company
will be very likely to wonder why those animals are made with large ears.
Brothers Willis, Sly and Evens ascended to the summit of the mountain seeing nothing but snow-capped mountains in advance of them. It was decided not to abandon but to postpone the enterprise until a later period. So far as they could judge a wagon road
would at least be possible and perhaps a success. One days' travel in descending took them back from winters cold snow regions to a warm spring atmosphere where flowers bloomed and vegetation was far advanced. (J of H 1 May 1848).
1848, May 1, a number of Battalion brethren
and others in Sacramento Valley, California
subscribed $512.00 and bought two brass cannons off Captain John A. Sutter
to be taken to Great Salt Lake
for the benefit of the Church of Latter-day Saints. (Names and amounts listed.) James C. Sly subscribed $10.00.
J. C. SLY (Tyler’s list, JAMES CALVIN SLY) Private. Mustered out with Company July 16, 1847, at Los Angeles, Cal. ‘By the 2nd of July the company was again on the march. Two days’ travel from Pleasant Valley, that is about fifty miles east of Sutter’s Fort, brought them to Sly’s Park, a small valley or mountain dell, thus named for Captain JAMES C. SLY, who first discovered it…. Four days’ travel over rough and rugged mountains took them across the summit, and they found themselves safely landed at the head of Carson Valley, Nevada
.’
.
Sly was accidentally wounded outside Fort Levan early in the Utah Black Hawk War
.
Sly died in 1864 in Chicken Creek, Juab, Utah
. He was buried in Chicken Creek, Juab County, Utah
.
Mormon Pioneer
The Mormon pioneers were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as Latter-day Saints, who migrated across the United States from the Midwest to the Salt Lake Valley in what is today the U.S. state of Utah...
, member of the Mormon Battalion
Mormon Battalion
The Mormon Battalion was the only religiously based unit in United States military history, and it served from July 1846 to July 1847 during the Mexican-American War. The battalion was a volunteer unit of between 534 and 559 Latter-day Saints men led by Mormon company officers, commanded by regular...
in the Mexican-American War, scout for early west trails used during the California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
gold rush
Gold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
, journal keeper in 1848 and 1849, early US western settler of several communities, and Mormon missionary
Missionary (LDS Church)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Service in the Mormon Battalion
1848, A number of brethren who had served in the Mormon BattalionMormon Battalion
The Mormon Battalion was the only religiously based unit in United States military history, and it served from July 1846 to July 1847 during the Mexican-American War. The battalion was a volunteer unit of between 534 and 559 Latter-day Saints men led by Mormon company officers, commanded by regular...
were still working in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, but they were anxious to proceed to the Valley of the Great Salt Lake
Great Salt Lake
The Great Salt Lake, located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Utah, is the largest salt water lake in the western hemisphere, the fourth-largest terminal lake in the world. In an average year the lake covers an area of around , but the lake's size fluctuates substantially due to its...
as soon as a pass should open. According to a previous arrangement a Company of 8 persons started 1 May 1848, Sgt. David Brewett being elected Captain, to pioneer, if possible, a wagon road of the Sierra, Nevada mountains eastward. The Truckee route being impractical at that season of the year.
This company consisted of David Brewett, Captain Ira J. Willis, James C. Sly, Israel Evens, Jacob G. Truman, Esra Allen, J. R. Allred, Henderson Cox and Robert Pixton.
Three days travel brought this Company
Company (military unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–225 soldiers and usually commanded by a Captain, Major or Commandant. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...
to Iron Hill where they found snow so deep they could travel no further, a donkey
Donkey
The donkey or ass, Equus africanus asinus, is a domesticated member of the Equidae or horse family. The wild ancestor of the donkey is the African Wild Ass, E...
belonging to one of the men was completely buried in the snow except his ears. On this occasion, these appendages were not to be despised, ugly and unique as they usually appear. For one of the men got hold of them and dragged Mr. Donkey
Donkey
The donkey or ass, Equus africanus asinus, is a domesticated member of the Equidae or horse family. The wild ancestor of the donkey is the African Wild Ass, E...
out and saved his life. None of that Company
Company (military unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–225 soldiers and usually commanded by a Captain, Major or Commandant. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...
will be very likely to wonder why those animals are made with large ears.
Brothers Willis, Sly and Evens ascended to the summit of the mountain seeing nothing but snow-capped mountains in advance of them. It was decided not to abandon but to postpone the enterprise until a later period. So far as they could judge a wagon road
U.S. Route 50 in California
In the U.S. state of California, U.S. Route 50 runs east from I-80 in West Sacramento to the Nevada state line in South Lake Tahoe. Portions within Sacramento are known as the Capital City Freeway and El Dorado Freeway...
would at least be possible and perhaps a success. One days' travel in descending took them back from winters cold snow regions to a warm spring atmosphere where flowers bloomed and vegetation was far advanced. (J of H 1 May 1848).
1848, May 1, a number of Battalion brethren
Mormon Battalion
The Mormon Battalion was the only religiously based unit in United States military history, and it served from July 1846 to July 1847 during the Mexican-American War. The battalion was a volunteer unit of between 534 and 559 Latter-day Saints men led by Mormon company officers, commanded by regular...
and others in Sacramento Valley, California
History of Sacramento, California
The history of Sacramento, California, began with its founding by Samuel Brannan and John Augustus Sutter, Jr. in 1848 around an embarcadero that his father, John Sutter, Senior constructed at the confluence of the American and Sacramento Rivers a few years prior.Before the arrival of Europeans,...
subscribed $512.00 and bought two brass cannons off Captain John A. Sutter
John Sutter
Johann Augus Sutter was a Swiss pioneer of California known for his association with the California Gold Rush by the discovery of gold by James W. Marshall and the mill making team at Sutter's Mill, and for establishing Sutter's Fort in the area that would eventually become Sacramento, the...
to be taken to Great Salt Lake
Great Salt Lake
The Great Salt Lake, located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Utah, is the largest salt water lake in the western hemisphere, the fourth-largest terminal lake in the world. In an average year the lake covers an area of around , but the lake's size fluctuates substantially due to its...
for the benefit of the Church of Latter-day Saints. (Names and amounts listed.) James C. Sly subscribed $10.00.
J. C. SLY (Tyler’s list, JAMES CALVIN SLY) Private. Mustered out with Company July 16, 1847, at Los Angeles, Cal. ‘By the 2nd of July the company was again on the march. Two days’ travel from Pleasant Valley, that is about fifty miles east of Sutter’s Fort, brought them to Sly’s Park, a small valley or mountain dell, thus named for Captain JAMES C. SLY, who first discovered it…. Four days’ travel over rough and rugged mountains took them across the summit, and they found themselves safely landed at the head of Carson Valley, Nevada
Carson City, Nevada
The Consolidated Municipality of Carson City is the capital of the state of Nevada. The words Consolidated Municipality refer to a series of changes in 1969 which abolished Ormsby County and merged all the settlements contained within its borders into Carson City. Since that time Carson City has...
.’
Later life
He married Susannah Gustin on March 25, 1849 in Salt Lake City, UtahSalt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
.
Sly was accidentally wounded outside Fort Levan early in the Utah Black Hawk War
Black Hawk War (Utah)
The Black Hawk War, or Black Hawk's War, from 1865 to 1872, is the name of the estimated 150 military engagement between Mormon settlers in the Four Corners region and members of the Ute, Paiute, Apache and Navajo tribes, led by a local Ute chief, Antonga Black Hawk...
.
Sly died in 1864 in Chicken Creek, Juab, Utah
Juab County, Utah
Juab County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of 2000 the population was 8,238, and by 2005 had been estimated at 9,113. It was named from an Indian word meaning thirsty valley, or possibly only valley. Its county seat and largest city is Nephi.Juab County is part of the...
. He was buried in Chicken Creek, Juab County, Utah
Juab County, Utah
Juab County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of 2000 the population was 8,238, and by 2005 had been estimated at 9,113. It was named from an Indian word meaning thirsty valley, or possibly only valley. Its county seat and largest city is Nephi.Juab County is part of the...
.
External links
- Traveling the Mormon Emigrant Trail (They named this encampment after James C. Sly)
- James Calvin Sly Museum (In the Sly Park Recreation Area) Pollock Pines, California
- Sly's Park, a small valley or mountain dell, thus named for Captain James C. Sly
- Led first wagons on Salt Lake cutoff, became the Gold Rush Trail
- Mormon Battalion Company B Roster
- Time Line of the life of James C. Sly
- Black Hawk Indian War of Utah
- The Pollock Pines Epic
- Scanned Journal Pages
