Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1889-05-19
LAST OF THE SCOUTS.
c'd jim Bnis"r, kit Carsrn's Rival. Who
Hl1krh the IlLn's Pcak Trail.

III.
Hiaz"d the rIsc's Peak Trail.
Jim Baker, tho far-iamcd scout
hunter. trappcr and guide, is now
about eighty years OF ugc aud tho
oldest scout in the West. having lived
over half Il century on the frontier.
lie Is hale and vigorous. but time is
doing its work and he has changed
rapidly during the past two years.
When / saw him not long ago in Den.
yer he presented decidedly broken
appearance. Dressed in dark suit
and blue flannel shirt, and wearing n
white sombrcro, he was standing on II
street corner talking with some fiftv-
miners OF the days OF the great Fixes
Peak excitement. But it was long be-
fore that time that he camo TO the
then wilderness OF the Rocky Mount
aims. 1t was about 1876 that he started
out from the little humlct of IndcDeu-
dcncc, Mo, ROW Il suburb OF Kansas
City,which wTs not laid of until fifteen
Tcors later. For fny-two years lac
has led an cvcutful Iifc'on tho frontier
Contemporary with Kit Carson and the
famous scouts OF that period. he came
before Fremont and Gilpin, Ilarney
and hcarny. and will ever be historic
.hSurc in the carly settlement of tha
Roc'Sy Mountain country.
Jim Baker has secuted for Fremont
and cX-Govcrnor Gilpin, and was with
them on the ST. Nrain. July {, 1913.
when Frcmonts old hOwilzcr thun-
dcrcd the first salute ever given tho
American Nag in Colorado. IIo y,ws
with DOniphan on his famous march
i'll the Mexican war, and one OF tue
hardest fights he ever had was in this
campaign, engaging n hostile band OF
Indians in the Panhandle. llc was
also scout with tho veteran General
iarncy at Ash Hollow. when the
Sioux were driven back after a terri
bic battle. He WAS with General
Johnston's command in hat unfortu-
nate expedition sent out by the Gov
crnmcnt against tho Mormons In 1857.
No living scout has record like
his, and but fow Of those dead ever
lcd so cvCntful life. He Is the last
Of that old type OF hunters that viii
live IN tire romance Mat niwavs links
itself with tho borderiand between
civilization aud tho home OF the cav
age. -.'
rs | stood watching tho veteran
hunter and scout wondered not that
some Denver schOol-bOys, in pussinr.
should stop and look urf into his face
with an inauiring glance. They know.
not who hc was, but uny stranger
would stop 10 look ut him. Not for
any pecuiHriiy in dress, but for hi
characteristic face nuh appearance. II
Is truly Il wonderful fncc. His beard
Is white and griHzlcd. Tho long wuvv
hair reaching down on his shoulders Is
now almost silIScn white. When first
lsncw him there were heavy strcaks of
dark, mingled with tho gray. but they
Hrc now nearly white. There urc dccp
wrinkles on the forehead and in tho
face. Tho eye, which in bygonc years
was uncrring in the aim OF the rifle, is
now getting dim. but still possesses
much Of the cagic glance of half n cont
ury ago. Nature has chisclcd his feat
urcs rugged. lilso the granite rocks.
Bronzcd and tanned by sunshine and
mountain storm. with wrinkles. made
heavy and deeply great age; with hair
white, like mountain SHOWS; grim-yis-
.gcd; brave ns II lion. yet gentle and
modest rs child: tho hero OF n thou-
snnd thrilling adventures on tho plains
ana In tho mountains, he looks vorily
what he is-thc last and trlirst tvpc of
tho American hunter that for three
hundred years has been blazing a trail
FOR civilization from tho Atlantic TO tho
Pacific.
When jim Baker camo West there
were no white women in the Rocky
Mountains and lie married n Shoshono
squaw, by whom ho has raised u fam
lily. 1t was squaw or no wife In those
days. Some OF tho pionoors say that
dim Baker married two squaws. ono Of
! whom he scnt back 20 her tribo In later
| years, and the other was stolen from
him. 1t was " good thing for tho
sqnaw thief that ho was ont of tho
range OF Bakor's riIlc, for tho old scout
would havo killed him Love did not
always run smooth oven In those early
days on tho frontier.
Jim Baker kncw oycry phase OF In.
dim lifc and was known TO nil tho
chiefs OF tho great tribes. Next 70 Kit
Carson ho was tho crack rino shot on
tho frontier, aud Carson ofton ac;uowl.
edged that jim Baker was his only
rival in The u3c OF tho rife Ills last
work us n scout was during tho Utc
outbreak about ten years ago. whom
Father Mackcr ~as massacrcd. with
plenty In lis old ago hO lives on his
rhnch on Snake river. near tho North.
cru Colorado boundary lino. oc,nlion.
| nl'y hunting and ilJhing and following
his fnvorite sport trapping tho beaver,
ana about Onch ylur he comes {,
Donvor, hunts up somc OF tho pioneers
] lalli' over "Reminiscences of tho cnrly
uh%s and thcn return 20 llis monnlnir
nome --- Cor pliinIni mia, 'r;,,,,.