James Ohio Pattie was twenty years old when he and his father, Sylvester, headed west in 1824 to make their fortunes as beaver trappers. The Patties followed the trade route to Santa Fe and eventually reached present-day Arizona.
This was the first of James Pattie’s many trips trapping along the Gila, San Pedro, Verde, Salt, and Colorado rivers. His adventures brought him face to face with abundant wildlife, friendly and hostile Indians, and a beautiful-but-harsh land.
Pattie returned east six years later. The stress of his adventures had taken its toll, making it difficult for him to reconnect with his family. Editor Timothy Flint was so struck by Pattie’s tale that he recorded and published it in 1831 as The Personal Narrative of James O. Pattie.
Pattie’s adventures became known throughout the United States, providing some of the most extensive—although at times exaggerated—accounts of Arizona in the 1820s. |
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