Show Leader of the Lost Trappers O C of the most romantic storIes of the Old W West est is that of Capt Williams and his Lost Trappers Trapper The story tory had Its beginnings In tl tI e a Lewis and Clark c e when hen those two 0 famous explorers e upon theIr return to St t Louis brou brought ht with them n a Mandan Indian chief named flamed Ilg I I hate who soon asked asbed to go home An escort of 20 O mens men was wis s enlist enlisted ed for this duty and they were ere placed In command of Capt I zee zei ice On April 25 23 ISO 1807 the they set out from S1 St Louis and proceed proceeded ell ed up the Missouri until DIg Big White hUe seas wis once more among the 1 Tills This duty done they could hl hive e returned to St Louis But Williams and his men had an another another another other idea and tint that was as to ex explore explore explore the upper Missouri country So on up Into the thc Yellowstone country they went There they were set upon by hostile and lost five fite of their number ne- ne Re Retreating treating southward they fell tell In with the Cro Crows CroS S who ho killed hilled five fire more and took tooh all aU their horses Tue party part now reduced to ten men hastened on foot toot toward the he headwaters ld aters of oC the South Platte they hoped to find a n better pass lass through the mountains than Le Lewis LeIs Is and Clark dark had found That winter Inter and the next spring the rem of the expedition spent near the source of the Arkansas river and here they fell feU In with hostile who ho picked oft off their men one olle by one until at last only three of the original 20 O were left These three were vere ere n I Innis James W and Samuel Spencer By lly this time they hid had no Idea or of which direction to take to reach a settlement Captain Williams was sure the were ere on the Red lied river but the tho other two were equally certain that they w were ere not fir far from Santa I e So o the they decided to separate continuing down the rh riser er erand and eventually e reaching tort Fort 1 ort Coop Cooper Cooper er on the Missouri 1 i iW W and Spencer headed to toward toward ward ard the Wind Ind river riser mountains and andIn andIn andIn In a n short time ss were ere hopelessly lost lostIn lostIn lostIn In the wilderness After many weeks of wandering they finale struck the Colorado Colondo river and fell fellIn fellIn fellin In with Ith i Ml Me Ican canvin In which took them to Upper California The following spring they the went to Santa SantaFe rl rc where here they y as traders for tor the next net nc t 15 y errs History has hns forgotten them now but they should be as remembered remembered as the first Americans to host floit upon up n the of oC the Rio Colorado Colondo and the first to cross the Rocky mountains south of oC I r ewes and Clark dark s pisse piss e 1933 western r |