Marker Logo
THE HISTORICAL
MARKER DATABASE
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Carthay Circle in Los Angeles in Los Angeles County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
 

Jedediah Strong Smith

Pathfinder of the Sierras

 
 
Jedediah Strong Smith Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by James King, April 20, 2017
1. Jedediah Strong Smith Marker
Inscription. First American to discover a route overland from the east to California.
Explorer - Fur Trader - Missionary.
This boulder was brought from El Cajon Pass through which the pathfinder came in 1826. Placed here A.D. 1924 by Ramona Parlor 109, Native Sons of the Golden West. In memory of Ida Heimann Hellman.
 
Erected 1924 by Native Sons of the Golden West, Ramona Parlor #109.
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: ExplorationPatriots & Patriotism. In addition, it is included in the Native Sons/Daughters of the Golden West series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1826.
 
Location. 34° 3.791′ N, 118° 21.936′ W. Marker is in Los Angeles, California, in Los Angeles County. It is in Carthay Circle. It is at the intersection of McCarthy Vista and Wilshire Boulevard, in the median on McCarthy Vista. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Los Angeles CA 90048, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s Transverse Ranges. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Carthay Circle (here, next to this marker); Daniel O. McCarthy (approx. 0.2 miles away); Juan Bautista de Anza (approx. 0.2 miles away); "Snowshoe" Thompson (approx. Ό mile away); Berlin Wall Segments (approx.
Paid Advertisement
Click or scan to see
this page online
0.4 miles away); 1,000 feet above an underground oil field (approx. 0.4 miles away); Death Trap for Meat-Eaters (approx. 0.4 miles away); Pit 13 (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Los Angeles.
 
Jedediah Strong Smith Monument image. Click for full size.
Photographed by James King, April 20, 2017
2. Jedediah Strong Smith Monument
Jedediah Strong Smith Monument in 1927 image. Click for full size.
3. Jedediah Strong Smith Monument in 1927
Courtesy of the Los Angeles Public Library.
Drill Holes image. Click for full size.
Photographed by James King, April 20, 2017
4. Drill Holes
These holes drilled in the top of the boulder appear in a photo from 1927. There is no indication that anything else was mounted on the rock but the holes have been there from the beginning.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 30, 2017, by James King of San Miguel, California. This page has been viewed 753 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on July 30, 2017, by James King of San Miguel, California. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.
m=106328

CeraNet Cloud Computing sponsors the Historical Marker Database.
This website earns income from purchases you make after using our links to Amazon.com. We appreciate your support.
Paid Advertisement
Jun. 23, 2026