Show Ill been in the mountains where Bonneville had proved ty to cope with the shrewd Rocky Mountain his inabili- trappers He was to pick his so Joe Walker got his orders men and to organize the party at once Their deswas tination was to be kept more or less quiet but soon noised about that California was to be their goal and that they were to trap Mary’s Humboldt river and such streams as might flow into the Great Salt Lake along a handful of men could their route If Jedediah Smith with Joe Walker with fifty $20000 in furs in California trap men and with first rate equipment surely should do twice as much or even better 7 And it California rather than Great Salt Lake exploration was the goal of the expedition is also clearly shown from other That records Zenas Leonard who accompanied the Walker expedition the following report that throws definite light on the proposed destiny of the brigade:8 was ordered to steer through an unknown ’Walker country towards the Pacific and if he did not find beaver he should return to Great Salt Lake in the following summer I was anxious to go to theMrcoast of the Walker as Pacific and for that purpose hired with clerk Nidiver George Nidiver also accompanied the Walker party had suffered greatly from the cold bleak winds of the Rockies as clerk made and sought a milder climate brigade Nidiver signed as a ’Walker Booth West Wind Reddeford Walker 45 7 Percy K 8 Zenas Leonard destination of the Once in Calif or- member Knowing the The Life Story of Joseph Leonard’s Narrative 148 |