Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-12-09
honor TO THE
| BRAVE PIONEERS
|. !, Characters Of Colorado
VII Known to Utah Veterans
l., ARE IN DENVER NOW.
ofA,exandcr Majors Capt
,.,u.ou, pavid street and
W rrpp.r. Of the Far IVES"


lust now doing honor to
nv, ,'',,,rs as Utah did TO hers a Ill
,,,o years ago though not on
~ 49,, a scale. sim what Is be-
~, a most interesting. especial
I'm Of the fact that some OF the
l,,,me,crs to whom reference IL
w ,seli known by veterans here.
,i,,, Is that true of Alexander
who was one OF the great
~, r across the plains and through
a. Early days. Speaking OF him
7, ,, h the Denver News says
~. strccts Of Denver. almost any
" H. seen the form OF the ven-
Il, sander Majors, one or the
y. Ssssrted " the old-timers OF the
ts states. Majors came 10 the
.',sns a. early M isis, ana MS MS
si,cn In seventy Years on the
!, one Of the most thrilling
nubilshcd. lie was one OF
s,,.t frlrhtprs Ia the early times,
-, iatei with Russell a Wnd.
800 IONS Of thousands OF drut
ernt thousands OF horses aud
- The business grew to such
1870 dlm,nsionH that II fell OF It's
.sirht aud through the duplicity
..,,sss Connected with the hrm.
W Majors has always been "a man
...,ine convictions and unusual
spIfit. lie IL today one OF the
7. lniefestlng characters llvlng.
:. ,faric death Of Capt. George n.
,'i,on IS an accidental dlseharsc OF
rsn While coming to Denver from
slslng camp In Eastern utah, "
nh In the minds OF u most OF thc
80 friends II IN surprising thht
IN who carried riiic Tor toity
=, should become the victim OF his
,'r,iS,ncss. hut this IN one OF the
80, tragedies OF life. jackson was
n, pialns with Kit Cursor, before
=. md was the dlscoycrcr OF gold
X Iarhon dlgginga near ldaht
.,sss The adventures OF this man
M make a stirring chapter In ths
5,s1 u the West.
mia Street arrived In Denver In
s'.tk $50 having made the trip from
,.rravutth, Kan. In six days on The
si,al Overland, California and Piko's
IN Espfesa coach" The late George
II CLAYTON was passenger ON Tho
L. czech, although II was not Mt.
Idrton's ms, trip to Denver. as he al
- had d store established In the
I'd fvc Years previously, In 1855, Mr..
~ ciosssd the mountains with an
..lilun which went to Salt Lake
n.
fRAPPERs OF THE FAR WEST.
history " the fur companies which
esn,sd In the Rocky Mountains pre-
li 10 the coming OF the gold hunt
M ana the destruction OF the fur
X1lf would make a yolum. OF great
|tssd. VI. \. Bailey OF this city has
. n ooursc " years gathered o high
i raiuAble collection Of books on the
r. trade and Il IL from him that the
loulug facts arr obtained:
n American Fur company was one
Y o. early ORGANIZATIONS brought Into
,uginer IN the United States for the
igpeie Of operating In the far West.
q. company was chartered by the
fi1tnfe of New York M early aH 1903,
VII capital Of 100000 IL carried on
b business In much the sam way rs
a. Hudson Bay company ana other
fiff EXAMINATIONS, which had made
r1i fortunes In the fur trade OF the
Arih American continent. The Mis-
tsfn Missouri aud Yellowstone riv-
IN we're covered by the American Fur
c1tlny, as we'll as the great area na
~ sest az the coast. This company
~ itg hfsi 10 use steamboats, ON the
lNun river II remalnca In the held
tu lN9 90 1850. The roster OF the
t1pauy Includes many names familiar
tsflefn history. General Ashley, the
tsoye,f II South pass. Jed Smith, the
~ American 10 cross the Slcrras, Jim
Hesif, the scout and guide. Jim Beck
IN, the mulatto who became chief
9 ~ Crow Indians and was acquainted
w many nf the early settlers OF Dem
W were on the list. The annual cx-
F4ulhs Of the company reached form
20 ~ Louis. the headquarters, TO all
.in wherc beaver snd other fur
shihg animals could be probably
ulpifd In the West. The posts OF the
hpany were scattered widely. In 1885
s'Anttlcan Fur company absorbed the
~ Mountain and Missouri Fur COM
-. and under the management OF
vhguteaus had the entire Rocky
.hian inr trade south OF the line OF
Lwh America under Its control.
uinea beaver skins commanded as
Is per pound, hut IN isiG the
N" laa ialivn TO 81 per pound. When
uAle W huifnlo hides commenced
company assumed new life. and.
lllaNing from the mountains, con-
Az US operations largely TO the buff
On The plains.
IN trading posts presented lively
49, ~ Times Of the year when the
.'Ahs gathered to barter with the
eau OF the fur companies. In the
- Of Irving and Parkman Vivid de-
,.w9ns of those gatherings are CIV
rvIt ~ Nrain. nifty miles north OF
sF' on the Platte river. was one
us most Important cortcrs during
,u Of twenty years, commencing "a
as nv The ruins of the old fort
~, NV De seen standing In u meadow
In we mouth OF the st. Vrnin river.
| 0i,,gnr OF The most romantic spots In
ana q visit to the historic
IN "9gnll well repay any lover OF his
~, mere General Fremont made his
NJ, wuehomlcnl observations at the
~ tnt mountains, and here thou
~, weary, hOmcslck gold seekers
tt~ ellnp to rest after "A long trip
~ we states. The view from tho
Ls.i surprisingly beautiful, with
b. ~ peak rising above the clouds In
y. ,i,sulale background and the end
lrs,as Wfetchlng away to the east.
slls I" y posi- " great interest In the
Ar,srsr elt Bent, In the valley OF the
tiYs ~, me remains OF old Fort Bent
tf s,,luN disappeared, but newer
IA t,aasl"ards changed Into a station
ha,v ~. 81 the United States, has
uiehus,sa luIrs which win attract the
,sr ss o. The traveller. At Fort Bent
ssrss asl many OF the stirrins;
" bo., ,sltly Western history. and the
i,to,dy y. y described many tlmes In the
ssgniaIr,. "dVenturers who came to the
% mn, we obstruction OF the buffalo,
lab oi rui Iell into dlsusc. aud today a