Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-09-03
jim BAKERS CABIN
Move Started to Preserve Fam
GUS and Historic Relic in
Colorado
HOME OF INTREPID rRApPER

Unique Cabin Built With Lookout Of
Top For Unfriendly Indians 10 Lo'
Gated In Romantic spot-Many Acre,
to BE opensd For Settlement Near Il
The people Of Colorado feel that jim
Bakers old cabin, 5on the Little Snake
river, should come under the law thai
gives the government supervision an6
control Of historic places Of interest
says Denver special dispatch to the
Chicago Inter Ocean.
The cliff dwellings Of Colorado have
been set apart as national park
Beecher island Indian battlefield is also
a national park, and there is II monu.
ment where Major Thornburg and hts
troopers were killed In northern Colo
RADIO when they were marching to the
rescue of the Tito agent, Meeker. Ar
interesting as any Of these places Is
Jim Bakers cabin, built In the early
forties by this intrepid scout and
pathfinder, who ranks with Jim Bridgel
and Kit Carson among the great char.
acters Of the early west. Here Baker
penetrated, long before any other white
man thought OF settling In such a wild
country, and here he lived with the
friendly Indians and fought the un'
friendly tribes, every day being spiced
with some thrilling adventure.
Bakers unique cabin. which Is built
with lookout on top, where the trap
per used to watch for unfriendiy In.
dams, 10 located In romantic spot
1t is In the valley Of the Little Snake
river, which winds along the. Colorado
Wyoming state line. 1t is In the foot.
hills Of the Sierra Madre mountains
and near it Is the celebrated Battle
mountain, where Baker and some trap.
pers and squaws successfully stood of
large attacking party Of Indians
Few visit the spot today because OF
It's inaccessihility, but this will soon
be changed. A few miles below Bird.
gers cabin development company
Of Denver is opening $4,000 acres Of
state land to settlement A sixty mile
Irrigation ditch is being built, and next
& year, when the water is turned on the
land embraced In this vast project,
Jim Bakers once lonely valley will be
/ thickly populated and there Is no
dbubt that q spur Of the Union Pacific
railroad will reach 1t from the north,
while the new Mo6at road. from Den
yer to Salt Lake, will pass within a
few miles Of 1t at the south.
Old Jim Baker himself would never
have dreamed Of the rush for this
valley which the building Of the Little
Snake river ditch presages. He moved
into the Little Snake country early in
the forties, 1t is said, because some one
had moved into the same county with
him in the eastern part of Colorado
year or two before, and he consid-
cred the country was getting too
derned crowded" Even when he died,
In 1893, there was little indication OF
the present great demand for cheap
irrigated land, and the scout would
have scofred at ANYBODY who prophe-
sled the coming Of a great irrigation en-
terprise to Little Snake river valley.
Jim Bakers experience in the wild
west, particularly in Wyoming, Is only
paralleled by Jim Bridger Baker was
born in 1918 at Belleville. Ill. In
1893 he joined company Of recruits
at st. Louis, in the service Of the
American Fur company, and made the
journey up the Missouri and across
the plains into Wyoming. 1t is q not
able fact that this first expedition
was Ia charge >of Jim Bridger, and
it was only through the tact and re-
sources Of this notable plainsman that
the entire party was not lost. Many
times the party was stopped BY saw
ages and the warriors held q council
to determine whether to kill the white
men or let them 60 on. But always,
according to Baker, Jim Bridgers
fQuickness of wit and his extraordinary
knowledge of the Indian character
saved the scalps Of the entire outfit
In all the years Of his frontier expert
ence Baker declared he was never
nearer death than on this first trip,
which ended at the mouth of Popo
Agie. on Wind river
Baker engaged as trapper, forged
rapidly to the front In his hazardous
vocation. and soon he was ranked
with Jim Bridger and Kit Carson. He
wandered all over the Rocky mountain
country. sometimes In company with
parties of trappers and sometimes
alone. The wilderness held no terrors
for him, and he was able to match his
cunning against that OF the Indians.
He played great part in bringing
civilization to the west.
Bakers cabin was the scene of many
an exciting skirmish, and the foresight
of the old trapper In building the queer
lookout on his house was more than
once rewarded when he headed or In
ldians who sought to surprise him. In
1855 Baker entered the service Of the
government as scout, and for several
years he was looked upon as one Of the
greatest scouts and guides in the serv-
Ice Of the army. The Pixies peak ex-
cltement drew him to Denver, and in
1850 he built home on Clear creek,
not far from the present capital Of Col
orado. Here he remained until 1873,
when he went back to his first love, the
Little Snake river valley.
Baker, like the other old trappers Of
his day, had several Indian wives.
MANY Of fla chi1dron live In COlorado