Major John Ebbetts was a California pioneer credited with the first recorded traverse of Ebbetts Pass

Ebbetts Pass

Ebbetts Pass, named after John Ebbetts, is a high mountain pass through the Sierra Nevada range in Alpine County, California. Ebbetts is the eastern of two passes in the area traversed by State Route 4. The western pass is the Pacific Grade Summit . The pass is registered as California Historical...

 in April 1851 while searching for a route for the railroad. The route he took is now California State Route 4. He had come to 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...

 in 1849. He was the head of the Knickerbocker Exploring Company.
He died August 15, 1854 in the boiler explosion of the steamship Secretary on San Pablo Bay

San Pablo Bay

San Pablo Bay is a tidal estuary that forms the northern extension of San Francisco Bay in northern California in the United States. Most of the Bay is shallow; however, there is a deep water channel approximately in mid bay, which allows access to Sacramento, Stockton, Benicia, Martinez, and...

.