Los Angeles herald., 1905-08-30

ternational Encyclopedia, IN Or. Coues'
'Garoes' and In brakes California
Names But in none Of them has It
any explanation. The river, lake, val
ley and Indian tribe all get their share
of this variation Of spelling.
THE lake is sponsor to the rest. In
February. 1886, John c. Fremont, the
Pathfinder. named It for one Of HIS
guides. See his Memoirs D, 455. To
one Of the lakes along their route on the
east side of the range l gave owens
name This was the Richard owens,
Kit Carson's friend and partner, who
had taken up with him a stock ranch
on the Cimarron, a tributary of the
Arkansas river, in Colorado. When he
started on this (his third expedition,
Fremont sent messenger to Kit Car
son to join him; and the most famous
scout of his day not only came but
brought with him a man whom Fre-
mont came to value almost as much. 1t
is high tribute that the Pathfinder
pays to Owens. (see Memoirs, D. 427).
That Owens was a good man 1t is
enough to say that he and Carson were
friends. Cool, brave and of good iudg-
ment. A good hunter and a good shot;
experienced in mountain life, he was an
acquisition and proved valuable
throughout the campaign
Here linking Cooley with Carson and
Owens, Fremont continues:
"I mention him here because the
three men come fitly together, and be-
cause of the peculiar qualities which
gave them in the highest degree
efficiency in the service in which they
were engaged.
1.-THE three under Napoleon might
have become marshals, chosen as he
quick and complete perception, taking
in at glance the advantage as well as
the chances for defeat; Cooley, insen-
sble to danger. of perfect coolness and
stubborn resolution; owens equal in
courage to the others and in GOODNESS to
Cooley had the coup d'oeil of a chess
player, covering the whole field with
the glance which sees the best move,
His dark-hazel eye was the chief fea-
ture of his face
"These qualities Of Owens crop out
here and there in the narrative of the
neutrality-suspicious. in his colli-
sions with hostile Indians.
Fremont also records ('Memoirs,' p.
AAQl fhot Owane On N, 0old M, fbe Atoef.-
lean river before Marshall discovered
1t lin fact on this third expedition) and
mentioned it to him. But both were
too busy with the taking of California
to pay serious attention to the glitter
ing particles.
ut is a little sarcasm on the incom-
pleteness of our encyclopedias that
none of them mention this border hero
who, in the opinion of the first Repub-
lican candidate for the presidency of the
United States, might have been mar
shall under Napoleon.
"a good many prominent California
place names, by the way. derive from
this and earlier expeditions of FIRE.
INSill IlNCl--WlllCh lAlO SONCih-
ment publication mistakenly ascribes
as named for three brothers, was
christened by Fremont in honor of Ed
ward M. Kern Of Philadelphia, his
topographer and artist on the third ex-
petition. (See Memoirs PIP. 455 and
425). The city and county were named
for the river.
walkers lake and river (Nevada)
and Walkers pass in California were
similarly named for Joseph Reddeford
Walker, one of Fremont's men on the
second and third expeditions, CMe-
moirs,' PIP. 4S5 and 455).
After Kit Carson we have Carson
City, New, and Carson pass. lake, river
and valley, in the same state, as well as
a peak in Utah, to say nothing of q
town and county in Colorado, Kit
Carson.
"Only poor Cooley seems to have been
wholly lost in this geographic deal.
Fremont himself. however, has had
little gratitude from the nation or from
this state. A small town in Ventura
county is the only place name in Cali
fornia to his honor-while counties in
Colorado, Idaho and Iowa. noble peak
in Wyoming and many towns all the
way from New Hampshire to Utah are
named for him."
cIIDEpWc0p MIII CON-