, 1924-05-29
HISTORY AND NAMES In
CARBON COUNTY
(contdnued from Page 1o)

Continued from rage U
tv miles from Wamsutter. the near
est railroad point with which place
It is connected by a daily stage
line. Dixon has a large milling and
power plant, a saw mill, a telephone
exchange, a public school, several
stores and an Episcopal church. Its
altitude is 1854 feet. 1t is near
this place that the famous old In
dian scout Jim Baker spent the last
years of his life. He built a block
house a few miles above where in
the old days he stood off many
bands of hostile Indians. This block
house was taken to Cheyenne several
years ago where 1t now stands In the
city park. 1t has been pretty gen
orally conceded that Jim Bakers ex-
perience in Wyoming covered a per-
iod of greater length than that of
any other white men, unless it be
Jim Bridger. Baker was born De-
cember 10, 1918, at Bellevtlle. ILL.,,
his parents to live on the Sagamon
river. From early childhood he was
taught the use Of firearms and at
the age of twenty was an expert
marksman. In the year 1898 he
Joined a company of rescuits at St.
Louis, who were entering the service
Of the American Fur Company and
with them he made the long journey
up the Missouri, across the plains
into Wyoming. There were ninety
of these recruits on that trip and
they went direct to the rendezvous
which was that ear at the mouth
Of the PopO Agfe on Big Wind river.
His irst trip IS = trapper was up
Big Wind River to its head and
then across the range into Jackson's
Hole. During the next nine years
he served as q trapper and was CON
stantly employed BY the American
Fur Company and was In tho bril-
eades of Trapp. Vasquez. Bridger
and Fitzpatrick. On August 20.
1871, Frapp. with thirty-two trap
pers under him. Jim Baker being
one Of them. had = desperate battle
with Sioux and Cheyennes on Snake
River. Ten men had been sent out
for the purpose Of driving buffalo.
it being understood that the men
in camp would head of the bison
after the ten had started them run
ming In their direction. 1t CHANGED
that these men ran on to a large
body OF Indians and were attacked
with great fury. One OF h ten,
named Burken, was wounded badly
in the fight and he at once turned
his horse in the direction OF the
camp. which he reached in safety.
When Frapp ordered twenty OF his
party to mount and he led them to
the rescue of the nine trappers who
were carrying on the unequal con-
test. 'It was a desperate fight but
the arrival of the achievements de-
we're obliged to retreat. Trappers
and Indians have told many stories
about the cold winter of 1S45. No
one knew just how cold 1t was but
many white men claim that 1t could
not have been less than sixty de-
grees below zero. Jim Baker, who
was in Wyoming that winter, says
that 1t was the coolest weather he
ever experienced. 1t killed nearly
all the horses and ponies belonging
to the Indians as well as the trap
pers. Jim Baker often told the
story OF the fierce fight between the
trappers and the Indians for some
horses which the trappers had driven
up from southern California and
Mexico to r~eplenish their depleted
herds. 1t was a long. desperate
fight, in which many Of the Indians
paid dearly for their holiness. the
unerring rifles OF the trappers giving
them great ODDS over the pOsirly
armed red men. Nothing remains
now to mark the spot where the
deadly struggle for supremacy took
place except the names Battle Noun
tain and Battle Creek. now made
famous by remarkable veins of COP
per ore. which names came from the
engagement fought by Jim Baker
and his fellow trappers with the hos
tile Indians for the possession OF L
band of horses. the bitterness OF the
fight being intensified by the fact
that they were the only horses In
that part OF the country" (See
Battle).