Joseph Reddeford Walker

With his good looks and plumed hat and 6' stature, Joe Walker was the romantic stereotype of the mountain man.  His escapades with ladies were legendary - so was his knowledge of the West.

Walker operated as trapper and trader out of Independence, Missouri for 12 years, was sheriff of Jackson County until a promise of waters rich in beaver, wine and women lured him on an expedition to California in 1833.  Walker understood the ways of the Indian, was kind and affable to men, and loved to explore unknown regions.

From Salt Lake down the Humboldt River, over the Sierras near Yosemite and reaching the Pacific Coast, Walker covered most of the West.  In 1833 he discovered Walker Pass in the San Joaquin Valley.  Walker Pass provided an easy wagon train trail around the south end of Sierra Nevada. In 1869 the transcontinental railroad would follow the Humboldt River route.

After Joe married an Indian chief's daughter who was lost (along with is children) to cholera, his career would span 47 years as a trapper, trader and guide.  He advised wagon trains to California, bought and sold cattle and led gold prospecting parties to California and Colorado. 

His lists of "firsts" equals and surpasses Jedediah Smith's in the discovery of the West.

When his eyesight began failing, he retired to his ranch in California where he died at the age of 78.  For more in depth on Joseph Walker - search this blog...we have followed him from his birth through his life. 

Next time...Trapper Wives
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Today in Pioneer History: On April 7, 1805 after a long winter, the Lewis and Clark expedition departs its camp among the Mandan Indians and resumes its journey West along the Missouri River.

The Sager Family's Troubles Continue

The nightmare journey of the Sager family continued to Fort Laramie where a buffalo stampede on the edge of what the settlers called "The Great American Desert", led Henry Sager, Catherine's father to try to turn the giant beasts away from his family's wagon and lost his life in the process.  His daughter records the event:

"It soon became apparent to all that he must die.  He himself was fully aware that he was passing
away and he could not be reconciled to the thought of leaving his large and helpless family.  Looking upon me as I lay helpless by his side, he said to me, 'Poor child.  What will become of you?'  Soon after camping Capt. Shaw came to see him and found him weeping bitterly.  Mother was feeble in health, the children were small and one (me) likely to be a cripple for a long time from my broken leg with no relatives in the country and a long journey still before us.  Father begged Capt. Shaw in piteous tones to take charge of us and see us safely through."

Mrs.  Sager herself saw her family to Oregon , hiring a young man to drive the team, but he turned out to be less than honorable.  Taking the family's rifle in the ruse to hunt he instead held up the wagon ahead of them where his "Lady Love" was. Mrs. Sager (who had just given birth on the trail by the way and buried her husband), came down with camp fever in Utah.  Women on the train cared for her newborn.  She died on the trail and was buried on the side of the road. 

In 26 days, the 7 Sager children were ophans, the eldest just 14 years old. 

Next time...what happened to the Sager children??

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Today in Pioneer History:  On August 11, 1806, while hunting for elk along the Missouri  River, Meriwether Lewis is shot in the hip, probably by one of his own men.

A Sense of Adventure

 I am sorry this was scheduled and never published...it is kind of out of order now, but it deals with the "Guidebooks" that lead pioneers to go west in the first place...kind of fit it in your mind with where we have been! :)

One thing that Guidebooks did do was to open a woman's sense of adventure, appealing to the need for someone with female qualities who could "soothe and socialize the men" and insure that social stability went West.

One of the prevailing debates of the period was whether the West was a symbol of progress and growth, or whether it was the collapse of social stability and civilized values.  It was believed that women could be the deciding factor in changing this new country from the "wild west" to a socialized part of America.

The perfect pioneer lady, with her gentle ways, courage and heroism, could shape the West both morally and culturally.  Without the stabilizing effect of family, without the domestic life that a woman could provide, it was believed that the West would never be a place inhabitable by anyone other than wild men and Indians.

The public opinion began to appeal to women who wanted to make a difference, who heard the call to go West with a purpose.  Most women who made the early journeys were middle class women from families that had already moved from the East to the wilderness of Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee - many had been children when their parents had made the move.  They were neither rich nor poor, but they had the middle class attitude of "a woman's place" being with her husband.

 Contrary to what was written in Guidebooks, many women believed that the West would transform them into robust, hardy creatures and give them the toughness to perform crucial duties of a western pioneer woman. Unfortunately, the West was no place for a fragile woman - they needed to be healthy, strong and hardy before they began the journey West.

Since the West offered isolation and loneliness,  women also had to have a strong sense of self and leave most of her life behind in the East.  This, of course, was easier for those who grew up in the Ohio Valley wilderness than for women from the cities of the East.

Next time - more practical reasons for going West...

In Spite of It All!

Godey's Lady's Book did more than provide women with reading material, fashion, patterns and domestic information - it was a source of information on the idea of going West..

Popular during the mid to later-1800s were "Guidebooks" which were instrumental sources of information on western travel, from how to travel safely and efficiently, equipment details and costs, best trails to take, to recent reports in letters and journals from those who had gone before.  These were highlighted in Godey's on a regular basis for women to read.

Guidebooks also had the reputation of ignoring the role that women would play in this journey, portraying the West as primitive and hazardous country with "savage Indians", suggesting that women must be strong, resilient and resourceful to survive the long and arduous journey - more  manly characteristics than those of women of the period.

It should be noted that the model pioneer was written to be "a MAN with a good gun, 5 lbs. of powder, 20 lbs. of lead and prepared with energy and courage for any encounter.".  Many claimed, women, on the other hand, to be "unnecessary encumbrances for necessity and comfort".

Yet despite all this public opinion, women went west in great numbers - in spite of it all the suggestions, inferences and warnings.  What kind of women answered the call?  Next time...