Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-05-26
HERE'S A PIONEER!
A Man Who Crossed Tho Rockies Into
Utah in 1871.
JAMES BAKER OF DixQS, wYoMlNG.
Writes Most eres'ing Letter 10
Chairman Clawson OF His En-.
trance mo This Then Wilderness

Chairman Clawson Of the Semi
Centennial commission received the
GLOWING most interesting letter this
mprnisg from James Baker OF DixoD,
Wyoming under date Of May 10,
which shows the writer to be a pl-.
neer OF Pioneers:
Spencer Clswsop:
Sir--Your letter and blanks are a!
hand, but I have been in such poor
state OF health thnt l never had the
power or disposition to do anything al
all. But l Will now try to tell you
what l can remember OF the country.
frat came into the mountains In
1897 with the American Fur COM
paDy, but did not get into the Utah
Valley until 1884, when l came In
from Montana with forty other men
came from Bear river 10 Weaver Fork
and from there went TO Provo, which
was all covered with aunfi wv
ere, on which the Indians uie to
get seeds anu eat them with krnsshop-
pers. They were pretty poor Iniiaus
they were Ules, but talke1 Suoihone
hhA nun thc DhOohuhOo VI " ttb
TO war they would not kill these In.
cisns.
AT this time we were ON our way TO
Arizona to hunt beaver. But while
cumpeu at Provo We had q little racket
with the Indians which nsarly
ended In fight with them, all on &C.
Arizona the next spring, '42, and isaw
. h.
csmped on the Provo. They saw us
and thought that we were going to
pitch into them anu they ran
of. Old "Peg Leg" Smith was In
charge OF our company aud we went
ny the way Hsnry's Fork and then to
the Wind River country. The ntxt
lime L went there WAS with Miles
Goodyear as partner in the Indian
trade in the year lS47. The Mormons
came into the eountry the same sum-
mer. along in July. Miles Goodyear
sold his things, horses, cattle and land
grant to Captain Brown. We had our
headquarters on Weaver's Fork. In
lS4S when Fad Miles divided up on
the 5svier Miles and Andy Goodyear
went to California and l went through
by Salt Lake City to Weaver's FORK to
For: Iridger.
Alter this petition was sent up by
the Mormons to Fort Bridger to get
signers for delegate to send to Wash.
irgton. The mans name YVES, /
thinB, Rabbit. This petition was for
a territory named Deseret but after.
ward changed. Bsbbit wac the editor
VI the DEsEREr News. I thiuk he
was the man app)iated delegate.
The petition was b,gned by about
eighteen or twenty mountaineers AID
Old Lewis Vasqurs signed his name
as did also Lewis Vasques Jr. Oh
Vasques had q little child and No
signed his name "Jr." als) sigaei
my name and some Of the Ftsuch
buys also signed the petition. There
were eighteen or twenty OF US.
1t was admitted Territory
but named Utah. In the Year ls4S 1
think josh Terry came up ami went
to work for Jim Bridger AMI Vasquts
and worRed Tor couple oil years
when he quit, anu then Joshua
and went out trading around
with the Indians for about
five years and got pretty well ac-
quainted with JOsh. Then he went
uown to Salt Lake City. He anu
were chums as you can see for q long
while. have seen him occaoi OIL ally
since then.
1 am sorry / cannot attend your
Centennial as would probably
make great many ncquaintances Of
old times gone by. But
am SO badly used up by o swelling
In my legs, from which I am
getting little bette. but awfully slow.
You can give my compliments TO
} sh Terry. He came up with the
fret batch OF Mormoae. II this Will
do you any good all right. But l am
sorry can mol atteud Us 1 coulu tell
you more.
1 remair, yours truly,
IAAfCG