The Victory Lap

In the summer of 1867, Captain Joseph Walker made his final trip, traveling through the Grand Canyon and La Paz, a river port on the Colorado.  He stopped for supplies and food for the mules,
paid for with what Walker's bad eyes thought was a silver dollar but later turned out he gave the Indian a $20 gold piece.  He went in search of the Indian and his change.  When he found him, he also discovered he knew him from the Apache days and the Indian returned the coin saying he would never cheat Captain Walker.  Quite a tribute to the man Captain Joseph Walker was. 


Even with his poor vision, his instincts never failed him.  From Colorado, Walker continued westward through the Mojave, following trails he no longer could see clearly but knew by instinct.  He arrived home for the last time in the fall of 1867. 

Next time...The Final Interview

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This Day in History:  Oh February 2. 1812, Russians establish Fort Ross on the coast north of San Francisco, staking a tenuous claim to the riches of the Far West.
 

Walker's New Plan

During those 3 months, Walker had not lost a man and only 2 or 3 were wounded by the Apache, none seriously.  Six Apache were killed.  Walker's party was no closer to Arizona than before so Walker devised a new plan - kidnap Chief Mangas.  Now Mangas was about 6'4" - 6'7" by all historical accounts.  The plan:  if white men were allowed to pass through Apache territory without harm, Mangas would be released unharmed. 

Walker did kidnap Mangas, but the military disregarded Walker's plan and killed Mangas.  After that, the military sent troops to kill some 20 Apache.  Walker left Fort McLane  in disgust.

Walker's party stopped to explore the upper waters of the San Francisco River and then on to Tucson in April of 1863.  They came to present day Phoenix and then on to Prescott. By Christmas of 1863, there were so many newcomers in the area that Walker had had enough and relinquished command of the party.  He is recorded as saying "We opened the door and held it open for civilization and now civilization will do the rest."

Next time...Civilized Arizona?

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Today in History:  On January 22, 1870, pursuing American soldiers badly beat Cheyenne Chief Dull Knife (Mountain Star) and his people as they make a desperate bid for freedom. In doing so, the soldiers effectively crushed the so-called Dull Knife Outbreak in Wyoming/Montana.

Walker vs. Mangas

Mangas Coloradas, the only Apache chief with enough influence and reputation to work with other
tribes, met with the calvary military at Apache Pass in Southeast Arizona.  Along with his son-in-law, Cochise, and 200 Apache, Mangas fought well.  After 6 hours of battle, he was wounded and forced to retreat.  By the time Captain Joseph Walker and his men came along, the Apache wanted revenge.

It was a human chess game between the two old veterans.  Walker wanted to get out of Apache territory and to the Continental Divide in southern Arizona.  Mangas wanted to harass and stop Walker altogether.  Both wanted as little bloodshed as possible.

Since Walker and his men were outnumbered 3:1, they were relatively safe in the open with their sharpshooters inflicting ocassional wounds, while Mangas tried to lure Walker into an ambush and raided his livestock. 

Walker's party went up and down New Mexico, staying to the east of the mountains and looking for a way through.  Constantly dogged by the Apache, they eventually ran out of water and had to travel through Apache territory to a spring.

In the end, they outwitted the Apache, made it to water and out again to present day Sioux City and Fort McLane in January 1863. 

Next time...Walker's New Plan

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Today in History: On January 19, 1847,  Mexicans, angered by the abusive behavior of American soldiers occupying Taos,  strike back by murdering the American-born New Mexican governor Charles Bent.  (refer back to earlier posts in Pioneer Pieces for Captain Joseph Walker in Taos)

One Last Hurrah

During the next 18 months, Joseph Walker, despite being 65 years of age and with failing eyesight, put on a performance which displayed all the skills and knowledge he had acquired during the last half century.  Beyond being Walker's last adventure, it demonstrated all the frontier expertise Americans had been acquiring dating back to his Great Grandfather John Walker in way back in the Appalachian Creek Valley.  (see earlier post about the Walker in Appalachian Valley).

Captain Walker's party followed the Rio Grande, engaging in training exercises since most were young and inexperienced.  Of the 31 men in the party, nearly all were under 35 years of age with rough attitudes and itchy fingers.  Walker instructed them in setting up defensible camp, identifying quicksand, packing mules properly and the importance of staying together.  The party left a very narrow trail with few distinct signs to tell the size or composition of the party.

Next time...Walker vs. Mangas

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This Day in History:   On January 15, 1933, after nearly a century of cooperative living, the utopian Morman Amana colonists of Iowa begin using U.S. currency for the first time.

Apache!

Fort Craig, where Captain Walker's party camped, was the last military post on the river below Albuquerque. After a  gift of a whiskey party, Walker was ready to get serious.  They were entering dangerous Indian territory, so from now on campfires in the middle of the camp with the men's beds in a circle around it was the rule.  Saddles nearby to provide cover and horses would graze beyond the men and on the perimeter armed guards would patrol in shifts throughout the night.

Three days out from Fort Craig it happened.  Around midnight a group of Apache slipped through the guards, attempted to stampede the livestock - but it failed. The Apache escaped unseen but Walker gave the guards a piece of his mind and went back to bed.  In the morning light, smoke signals on the hills were visible and Walker explained to his greenhorn men that they were telegraph signals.

Next time....Bullies of the Southwest

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This Day in History...On January 5, 1846, the U.S. House of Representatives passes a resolution calling for an end to British-American sharing of the Oregon Territory,  boldly reversing its long-standing policy of "free and open" occupation.

In Search of Gold

Trappers in general as a rule were ignorant of minerals and not very curious about them either.  Even if they found golf or silver, the cost of carrying it to settlements over miles of primitive trails wasn't worth it.  Not until the California gold rush of 1849 and the improvement of transport did prospecting and mining become profitable enterprises in the West. 

In the trapper season of 1837-38 a man named Jack Ralston was with Captain Joesph Walker on the

trail.  Only one interesting story remains about this man in the 1860s near the Colorado River with Captain Walker once again.  Back on the original expedition with Walker in 1838, Ralston found a few large  lumpy pieces of yellow metallic looking substance sticking out of the rocks.  He showed the rest of the men who didn't really know what it was either so they stuffed pieces in their pockets as novelty items and they became worn pieces of dust...gold dust.

Some 20 years later when Ralston saw samples of gold, he realized what it was he had found and attempted to go back alone to find it.  When that failed he asked if Captain Joe was interested in leading a party to the site again - Captain Joe agreed. 
Next time...Apache!

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This Day in History:  On December 28, 1890,  in the tragic final chapter of America's long war against the Plains Indians, the U.S. Cavalry kills 146 Sioux Indians at Wounded Knee, South Dakota.

Failing Eyes

In 1858, Captain Joseph Walker went back to Colorado as a guide for a military party near present day Needles.  Walker led them through the Yuma desert to Fort Yuma on the lower Colorado River.  In January 1859, Walker went up the Colorado River toward the Grand Canyon.  While camping Captain Joe  practiced with "rifles and revolvers just to keep his hand in it he told us" one man reported.  The men noticed that Captain Walker's eyes were not a sharp as they had been and his vision continued to worsen throughout his life.

Next time...In Search of Gold
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This Day in History:  On December 25, 1869, 16-year-old John Wesley Hardin reveals a singular lack of Christmas spirit by shooting James Bradley dead in the street over a card game.

From our Florida home to yours - the very warmest and blessed of Christmases!!  And yes, I posted this automatically before the holiday :)  Thanks for being a follower of Pioneer Pieces.

One Man Out of Many

During the 1850s, the Walkers (Joe and Joel)  purchased land at $10 an acre, eventually owning a ranch called Manzanita with 1500 deeded acres in northern California.  Walker then sold his own ranch near Gilroy in 1855 and moved to Manzanita further north and used this ranch for his base the rest of his life. 

During this time he started for Arizona on an expedition of unknown purpose.  On the west side of Colorado he ran into a bit of trouble with the Mojave Indians.  During one skirmish, a man named Lyon was seriously injured.  Walker returned to Los Angeles for medical attention where Lyon died, the only man ever killed while following Captain Walker.  The details are lost to time, and there is no record of what actually transpired, but to lose a man was no doubt something Captain Joe felt deeply.

Next time...Failing Eyes

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This Day in History:  On December 22, 1884,  a central player in the violent Lincoln County War of 1878-81, the cattleman John Chisum dies at Eureka Springs, Arkansas.  (if you don't know the story of Billy the Kid and his part in the Lincoln County Wars, stayed tuned...)

Railroad Consultant

The biggest news of the 1850s was of course the railroad.  The technology existed for laying a railroad, but there was little information about where it could be easily and economically built.
Joe Walker, being one of the last and most respected trappers and traders who knew the West country beyond familiar trails, found himself in great demand as a geographical consultant.

In late 1853, a group of politicians invited Walker to speak about rail routes in Sacramento.  Walker's four page report offered two routes he thought reliable for rail due to grades, water and wood supplies.

Both of Walker's routes left California through Walker's Pass,  one across the 25th parallel across Arizona and New Mexico to Santa Fe and from there across the plains.  The second ran from Walker's Pass north along the eastern Sierra to Humboldt Sink to Salt Lake along well traveled wagon trails.

None of the rails were ever laid through Walker Pass.  Both of the trails blazed in the first half of 19th century lie beneath beds of slate and national highways.

Next Time...One Man Out of Many

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This Day in History: On December 18. 1888,  Richard Wetherill and his brother-in-law stumble upon the magnificent ancient Indians ruins of Mesa Verde while searching for stray cattle in the isolated canyons of southwest Colorado.

Old Friends - New Friends

Captain Walker and his men proceeded from Sunset Crater and crossed the Little Colorado River, turned north to the Moquis where they spend an instructive and agreeable week with the Hopis. Walker was impressed with their mesa topped villages, their architecture, their arts and crafts, and especially their  character.  "They were neat, clean, always keeping 2 or 3 years worth of provisions laid up for fear of famine" he recorded. 

Captain Walker continued eastward to the Rio Grande, then Albuquerque in June of 1851. Captain Joe then went alone to Santa Fe in the summer where he met up with old friend, Kit Carson.  He looked into the local market for livestock, but found it not very attractive.

In November, Walker started back to California with a few men, traveling a well established caravan trail. Is Captain Joe about ready to retire from the life of a mountain man?  Is this his last trek in the western wilderness?

Next time...Railroad Consultant?

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This Day in History:  On December 15, 1890, the great Sioux chief and holy man  Sitting Bull is killed by Indian police at the Standing Rock reservation in South Dakota, after many years of successfully resisting white efforts to destroy him and the Sioux people.

Goodbye Rockies!

While all this was going on with Fremont and his "survey expedition", Captain Walker was once again busy buying and selling horses, furs, and leading wagons to the West.  In fact, it is reported that he passed the Donner Party, warning them that the route they were on was too dangerous and even directing them to use the Walker Pass route...Of course we know the party paid no attention to Captain Walker, resented his advice and called him a "Missouri puke".  They went on their way where 48 of them perished by starving or freezing.  Experienced trailblazers and guide vs.  greenhorn settlers...


It was during that year 1847,  that it is believed Walker's wife, children and family were killed or possibly contracted cholera which was sweeping through the tribes, decimating them.  In one year, half of the Cheyene died in 2 weeks alone. 

Joe Walker was almost 50 years old when he went home to Missouri briefly, but the people were just too "mean to stay" says Joe.
He  left Missouri for good on September 2, 1847.  On his way back to California he stayed in the mountains a bit longer than normal, stopping at Fort Nonesense which was now in ruins.  He met up with an old trail guide, Joe Chiles, who was leading his last group of settlers to California.  This was the last time anyone saw Captain Walker in the central Rockies after spending 20 years in those mountains.  The pleasure of the country had gone for Joe, so alone he returned to California where he spent the rest of his life.

Next Time: 2 Bad Apples...

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This Day in History:  On November 25, 1876,  U.S. troops under the leadership of General Ranald Mackenzie destroy the village of Cheyenne living with Chief Dull Knife on the headwaters of the Powder River. The attack was in retaliation against some of the Indians who had participated in the massacre of Custer and his men at Little Bighorn

I Don't Think So...

Fremont responded to Catro's demand by taking 60 of his men to the top of Hawk's Peak in the Gabilan Mountain overlooking Santa Clara Valley and erected a statue of himself along with the United States flag.   (I told you that you would come to look at Fremont differently!)  From there, he proceeded to taunt the Mexicans with boasts of military might.  He saw California as his, the way Jackson saw Florida and Houston saw Texas as their own.

Without orders, and as an active military officer, Fremont had entered a foreign country at that time, and committed what amounted to an act of war.  Fremont remained on Hawk's Peak for 3 days until the flag fell to the ground causing Fremont to abandon the position because he saw that as a "bad omen".

Hightailing it to Oregon without interference and in a towering rage, Captain Walker severed all ties with Fremont on the spot. and was later to say "Fremont, morally and physically was the most complete coward I ever knew.  I would say that he was as timid as a woman if I were not casting an unmerited reproach on that sex."

Next time...Fremont Finally Gets His

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This Day in History: On Nov.17, 1856, the United States gained control over the Gadsden Purchase with the establishment of Fort Buchanan. Named for the recently elected President, Fort Buchanan was located on the Sonoita River in present-day southern Arizona.

Trouble in California

Somewhere between Utah and California the party split up with Walker taking the pack mules, furs and horses through Walker Pass,  and Fremont going through Oregon, both agreeing to meet up in California. Captain Walker's party had a good trip through the Sierra and was waiting on Fremont for almost a month.  Walker went north to find Fremont (who claimed it was Walker who got lost).

The Mexican authorities  allowed Fremont's expedition under the title "scientific expedition" even though Fremont had no orders to be in California at all.  Walker was there as a free trapper/trader. 

About this time, rumors were  circulating that the United States and Mexico would soon be at war.  There were some 500 American settlers in California at that time, with the Indian population about 7000.  Col. Jose Catro was the local military commander and decided Fremont's "scientific expedition" was really a United States spy mission.  He ordered Fremont out of California immediately and began gathering regular military troops to enforce his demand.  Did John Charles Fremont helped incite the war with Mexico?  History doesn't say but from the story here, it sure didn't help.

Next time...I Don't Think So

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This Day in History:  On October 13, 1909,  the Ballinger-Pinchot scandal erupts when Colliers magazine accuses Secretary of the Interior Richard Ballinger, an appointee of President Taft,  of shady dealings in Alaskan coal lands. It is, in essence, a conflict rooted in contrasting ideas about how to best use and conserve western natural resources.

Oil and Water = Horse Thief?

John Charles Fremont's third expedition was westward from Montana to Pueblo Colorado which at that time was a collection of huts where the undesirables of the Southwest hung out - among them Crazy Bill Williams.  Fremont appointed Williams to pilot the rest of his expedition along with his Ute wife.  By this time Crazy Bill's drinking and temper had worsened to the point of causing real problems on the trail.

The group caught up with Walker on the White River in Utah where Fremont finally convinced Walker to pilot his remaining expedition.  Walker was headed to California with furs and horses, and probably Fremont was headed that same course.  Remember that Fremont had been hired to survey the Southwest, not California!

Shortly after joining up with Fremont, Captain Walker and Crazy Bill Williams got into it with Williams claiming that Walker had taken over his job (which he had).  Sometime in the night Williams left, taking two of Walker's best horses with him.  A horse thief is never well liked...

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This Day in History: On November 10, 1808, in a decision that would eventually make them one of the wealthiest surviving Indian nations, the Osage Indians agree to abandon their lands in Missouri and Arkansas in exchange for a reservation in Oklahoma.The Osage were the largest tribe of the Southern Sioux Indians occupying what would later become the states of Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska.

Next Time...Trouble in California

1844 - Wagon Train Explosion

While Fremont was toting cannons across the West, Captain Walker was busy buying and selling horses.  In 1844 he sold his California horses either at Bent's Fork or Santa Fe.  The rest of that season he spent guiding wagon trains.  In 1844 alone, 1,475 overland trains made the trip to California and 53 trains to Oregon.  By the summer of 1845, 3,000 settlers were on the trail...and the West was becoming the pioneer dream destination.

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This Day in History: On November 6, 1528,  the Spanish conquistador Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca is shipwrecked on a low sandy island off the coast of  Texas.. Starving, dehydrated, and desperate, he is the first European to set foot on the soil of the future Lone Star state.

Next time...Oil and Water

Packing the Big Gun

Fremont and Carson set off in the summer of 1842.  Fremont had a deep need for instant glory and he could arrange situations where he was the center of attention and a hero.  In the 1840s he presented himself as a kind of frontier hero, a trailblazer for all.  He compared himself to John Jacob Astor and was an instant celebrity as he went west...why you might ask?

John Charles Fremont took along on his survey party a 12 pound cannon which he had gotten illegally from the army.  There was no possible use for a cannon on a survey expedition other than a photo op - it was fired on only one occasion at a herd of buffalo.  His military superiors were furious and his men who had to deal with him over the trails said he was "ridiculous".  Beginning to get a picture of why Captain Joseph Walker wanted nothing to do with Fremont's "survey" expedition?

Next time...An Explosion of Wagon Trains

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Today in History:  On November 3,  1883  authorities almost catch Charles Boles, California bandit and infamous stagecoach robber called Black Bart.  He manages to make a quick getaway, but drops an incriminating clue that eventually sends him to prison.

Missed Connections

With Captain Joe Walker as pilot, the wagon train left out of Fort Hall in September of 1842, 6 mule
drawn wagons.  Walker planned well by bringing animals for the sole purpose of food, but he was still concerned about supplies holding out, so he decided to split the party up.  Walker would lead the wagons up the Raft River to Goose Creek, from there to Humboldt Sink by October 22.  However the other half of the party, the supply team,  made a long looping swing through Southern Oregon reaching Sutter's farm in November after having ridden 800 miles in 40 days.  They immediately went back to find Walker and his group but the Sierras were covered with snow and impassable by that time.


CaptSurvain Walker and his group meantime, didn't leave Humboldt Sink until November 1st thinking that the supply group was just late.  Only halfway to California with 45 days gone, they cut rations and moved along as fast as the animals and people could go.  Constantly tired and hungry, they still had their wagons and some of their livestock.  Walker knew where they were going and the nature of the journey - if they would only have believed him.

Next time...Fremont's Survey

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On this Day in History: October 27, 1873, a De Kalb, Illinois farmer named Joseph Glidden submits an application to the U.S. Patent Office for his clever new design for a fencing wire with sharp barbs, an invention that will forever change the face of the American West.

Wagon Train Captains and Pilots

Wagon Trains had 2  principal officers - the captain and the pilot.  Captains were men who organized the caravan initially, or were elected once the train was formed.  He was the administrator and also the judge.  He established the order, drew up the roster for duty and settled quarrels which were many and bitter.

Pilots,  or guides like Walker, actually led the train once it started westward and made the day to day
tactical decisions.  Pilots were responsible for where they traveled, how they traveled, where they made camp, as well as how they guarded livestock, forded creeks, made and mended equipment, dealt with the Indians, and survived the trip in general.  Pilots were usually veterans and the ones to soothe fears and boost morales.

A perfect role for Captain Walker...

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This Day in History:  On October 16,  1815, the sadistic and murderous western gunman,  William Preston Longley, later known as Wild Bill,  is born in Austin County, Texas.

Next time...Inexperienced and Packin' Heat

Missing Walker Changes Careers?

Between 1842- 1843, nothing is known about the whereabouts of Captain Joseph Walker was - it is assumed he returned to his wife's people in Snake country.  Maybe they started their family during this period?

Walker emerged driving a pack train in 1843, loaded with furs and sold them at Fort Laramie where he found his first party of settlers headed west.  For the next several years, Walker led wagon trains west.  Most of the trains were settlers from Missouri who no doubt knew Captain Walker from his days of Sheriff and landowner. 

Walker's rate for piloting settlers to California was $300 - there was such a thing as the Oregon Trail in California.  California was a foreign land and travel was unknown and extremely difficult. At that time Oregon was thought to be a more suitable, respectable place to live whereas California was thought to be wild country, full of Mexicans, cowboys, sailors and Catholics :)
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This Day in Wild West History:   On October 13, 1845,  a majority of the citizens of the independent Republic of  Texas approved a proposed constitution, that when accepted by the Congress, made Texas the 28th American state.
Next time...Walker the Pilot

Restless But Successful Joel

Joel Walker and family selected land, sowed in wheat and made a living that first winter. 

In January 1841, the 5th Walker child was born - the first American baby to be born in Oregon.  Louisa Walker was just 7 months old when her father took her and her family to California. 

The Walkers traveled by ship, arriving in San Francisco in September of 1841, becoming the first American family to reach California. How many "firsts" does that makes for the family of Walkers originally from the Appalachian Valley now...


They continued to Sacramento where Joel became the manager of Sutter's farm.  After a year they returned to Oregon way before the famous Gold Rush and found English speaking schools for their children.

Joel claimed 640 acres of land in Yamhill County and lad good success and farming for the next four years, at which time he sold out in the fall of 1848 and moved back to California where he served on the California Constitutional Convention in 1849.  He finally settled for good in Napa Valled on a prosperous ranch for the rest of his days.

Next time...The Year of Indian Violence