Horse Thieves!

Prior to Captain Joe Walker and Joe Meek's arrival at Fort Crockett, a Sioux war party had raided the area and driven off 150 horses.  Unable to catch the rustlers, the men decided to invade a peaceful Snake camp and steal their horses instead.  40 horses were stolen in all.

Walker was furious about the theft and organized a posse of 30 men to go after the white rustlers. Included in Walker's posse?  Carson, Meek, Craig, and part of his California veterans who had left to go home but hadn't made it that far. 

They caught the rustlers on the Green River and captured the stolen horses, returning them to the Snake without bloodshed.

Next time...Walkara

Meanwhile Back at the Fort

Meanwhile as the rendezvous disaster was going on in 1832 between the Blackfoot and the trappers,  Captain Walker and Bonneville were in the Plains and ignorant of the happenings out West.  Somewhere along the way a member the American Fur Trading Company had lured all the Delaware Indians away from their expedition by offering them $400 for a single trapping season - more than double the normal pay scale.

Bonneville had a new plan - to build a fort on the Green River at Horse Creek and use that as the expedition's base for the year.  Apparently no one had asked Walker what he thought and he had his objections to Bonneville's plan. 

First the site was a terrible choice for winter camp as  the Green River was wide and exposed to the wind - it was a "damn cold place" as Walker said.  In 3 months it could be buried in 4 feet of snow, making it impossible for the horses and mules to eat  The hunting and trapping were poor as well.

In the end Walker lost to Bonneville and Cerre and the building began...15 foot cottonwood posts were built.  This fort had to accommodate 110 men, most of their horses and two block houses inside the walls.

Was it a wise choice?  Next time "Fort Nonsense"...