The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1935-08-08

Back at Fort Laramie Miner became a hunter
for the American Fur company for year or
so. Then he accompanied a party of trappers
to Fort Bridger where he became acquainted
with its famous owner, Jim Bridger, and entered
his employ as livestock herder Returning to
Fort Laramie In the spring of 1916 Miner found
there letter from his parents telling Of their
move to Missouri and asking him to come home.
So he joined party OF mountain men bound
for st. Louis.
AT Fort Leavenworth Gen. Stephen w. Kearney
was modifying his Army of the West for serv-
Ice In the war which had been declared against
Mexico and when Doniphan's Missouri Mounted
Volunteers arrived there In June, 1916, young
Miner forgot about returning to his home. With
two other trappers he joined the army as pack
ers and Transfers After serving with Doniphan
In Mexico, Milner returned to Missouri and
sought out his family in Warren county. But
after his experiences In the Far West life In
the states seemed tame and he soon set out
again on trading and trapping expedition up
the Platte.
Late In November 1S4S, he was back In Mis-
souri, to spend the winter with his parents, but
expecting to start out again the following spring.
However, when the Watts family from east Ten
nessee moved to an adjoining farm and young
Miner saw fourteen-year-ed Nancy Emma
Watts. his plans were changed They were mar
red on May s, 1850, his twenty-first birthday.
and the next day they set out for honeymoon
trip across the plains to California lured there,
many thousands In 1S49-50, by the
hope of making their fortune In the gold fields
Because of his experience on the plains, the
youthful bridegroom was elected guide of the
wagon train which they Joined and after jour-
ney of six months they reached the Sacramento
valley safely
Leaving his bride at Sacramento, Miner went
at to the gold fields and during the next
two years he accumulated a considerable for
tune. Then reports of the fertility Of the Oregon
country drfted down into California and Miner
decided to emgrate there. In 1852 he took up
a homestead In what is now Benton county and
prepared to settle down as farmer and stock
raiser In the country.
But again the wanderlust seized the young
frUntiersman and within year he was farng
/, forth upon his career of wandering footoose
through all parts of the West which ended only
with his death at Fort Robinson In 1876. During
these years Nancy Emma Miner, the patient
Penelope Of this American Ulysses, remained
on the Oregon ranch, directing Its activities and
rearing the four sons that had been born to
them.
News of gold strikes In eastern Washington
and northern Idaho took him there In the sum-
mer OF 1859 and three Years later he was pur-
suing the golden wlll-othe wisp In Virginia City
Mont. 1t In the latter gold camp that he
won the sobriquet which he was to make so
famous, Asked by a party of miners what his
name was he replied That RI was Joe and when
they asked him where he was from he jokIngly
answered From California, where you find the
real gold" Then and there he was dubbed Cali
fornla Joe" and that name stuck to him through
tile remainder OF his life.
From Montana Miner drifted down into Wyo-
ming again, then on into CoIorado, and In 1865