James C. Sly (August 8, 1807 – August 31, 1864) was a

Mormon pioneer The Mormon pioneers were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), also known as Latter Day Saints, who migrated beginning in the mid-1840s until the late-1860s across the United States from the Midwest to the S ...

, member of the

Mormon Battalion The Mormon Battalion was the only religious unit in United States military history in federal service, recruited solely from one religious body and having a religious title as the unit designation. The volunteers served from July 1846 to July ...

in the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

, scout for early west trails used during the California

gold rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, New Z ...

, journal keeper in 1848 and 1849, early US western settler of several communities, and

Mormon missionary Missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church)—widely known as Mormon missionaries—are volunteer representatives of the church who engage variously in proselytizing, church service, humanitarian aid, and commu ...

to Canada.

Service in the Mormon Battalion

In 1848, several men who had served in the Mormon Battalion were still working in California, waiting to proceed to the Valley of the

Great Salt Lake The Great Salt Lake is the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere and the eighth-largest terminal lake in the world. It lies in the northern part of the U.S. state of Utah and has a substantial impact upon the local climate, particula ...

as soon as a pass should open. According to a previous arrangement a company of eight people started May 1, 1848, Sgt. David Brewett being elected Captain, to pioneer, if possible, a wagon road of the Sierra, Nevada mountains eastward. At that time the Truckee route was still impassable. 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 the group to Iron Hill where the deep snow made further travel impossible. One man's donkey was completely buried in the snow except his ears. The group climbed to the top of the mountain, where they could see only snow-capped mountains ahead. They decided to postpone the enterprise until later in the season. So far as they could judge, a

wagon road ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings. I ...

would at least be possible and perhaps a success. One day's travel took them back from snow to a warm spring atmosphere where flowers bloomed and vegetation was far advanced. On May 1, 1848, several men from the battalion, and others from

Sacramento Valley , photo =Sacramento Riverfront.jpg , photo_caption= Sacramento , map_image=Map california central valley.jpg , map_caption= The Central Valley of California , location = California, United States , coordinates = , boundaries = Sierra Nevada (ea ...

subscribed $512.00 and bought two brass cannons from Captain

John A. Sutter John Augustus Sutter (February 23, 1803 – June 18, 1880), born Johann August Sutter and known in Spanish as Don Juan Sutter, was a Swiss immigrant of Mexican and American citizenship, known for establishing Sutter's Fort in the area th ...

, to be taken to

for the benefit of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

(LDS Church).Journal of History (Salt Lake: LDS Church archive; May 1, 1848 entry)(Names and amounts listed; James C. Sly subscribed $10.00) The group departed for the Great Basin on July 2, 1848. The historical record"Mormon Battalion", historical record, Vol. VIII, p. 935 states:

By July 2 the company was again on the march. Two days' travel from Pleasant Valley, that is about fifty miles east of
Sutter's Fort Sutter's Fort was a 19th-century agricultural and trade colony in the Mexican ''Alta California'' province.National Park Service"California National Historic Trail."/ref> The site of the fort was established in 1839 and originally called New Helve ...
, 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 Douglas County is a county in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of th2020 Census the population was 49,488. Its county seat is Minden. Douglas County comprises the Gardnerville Ranchos, NV Micropolitan Statistical Area, w ...
.

Later life

Sly married Susannah Gustin on March 25, 1849 in Great Salt Lake City. He was wounded outside Fort Levan early in the Utah Black Hawk War. He died in 1864 in Chicken Creek,

Juab, Utah Juab ( ) is a ghost town in Juab County, Utah, United States. It lies at an elevation of , and is west-southwest of Levan. History Juab was originally called Chicken Creek, and under the latter name was settled in 1860. Juab was a railroad s ...

. He was buried in Chicken Creek,

Juab County, Utah Juab County ( ) is a county in western Utah, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 10,246. Its county seat and largest city is Nephi. Juab County is part of the Provo–Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical ...

Notes

References

James C. Sly Diary; SLC Archives and old church records * Thomas Gustin bible. J.C.S. buried in Chicken Creek, but town is gone and the area is covered in farms. Grave unknown... Nephi, Utah records * James C. Sly married Mary Bassett March 25, 1829, Manchester, NY. They had a son, Neamiah, born November 19, 1829, died August 25, 1830. Mary died July 25, 1830. * James C. Sly married Margriet Jane Fuller September 1, 1831. * James was in Mormon Battalion and named SLY PARK in California; and was there where gold was discovered and help found Mormon Trail over the Sierra Mountains. See History by Lenore Sly Waite, Salt Lake Archives.

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, named for Captain James C. Sly

Led first wagons on Salt Lake cutoff, which became the Gold Rush Trail

Mormon Battalion Company B Roster

Timeline of the life of James C. Sly

Black Hawk Indian War of Utah

The Pollock Pines Epic

- scanned journal pages

Sly Park

Sly Park Recreation Area

Sly Park History

The Pollock Pines Epic {{DEFAULTSORT:Sly, James Calvin 1807 births 1864 deaths 19th-century Mormon missionaries Latter Day Saints from Utah American Mormon missionaries in Canada Members of the Mormon Battalion Mormon pioneers People from Wayne County, New York People of the California Gold Rush Latter Day Saints from California