Joseph R Walker was born in Tennessee on December 13, 1798. Kis middle name is Reddeford. He had one brother named by the name of Joel. When he was 15, he became a horseboy. At age 20, he joined a hunting expedition to Mexico. He got arrested, but got out by helping the Mexicans in a war. In 1832, he joined the Benjamin Bonneville trapping/trading expedition to the West. Bonneville’s party spent two seasons’ beaver trapping along the Salmon River. Then, He went back East. After that he journeyed west to Mexico, province of Alto, in California. He led many small groups through the Sierra’s. He had also become part of the American Fur Company. Did you know, he once led John C. Fremont through a trail west. He also led many emigrant parties. Walker and a few of men left, to go across the Sierra’s, (on one special expedition)on August 20, 1833. …show more content…
They reached the Sierra’s and decided to go on. The climb was difficult and they had a shortage of food to add to the negative side of things. I heard on that expedition, he had to eat many of his horses because he was low on food. After three weeks they finally came out of the Sierra’s alive. Joseph R. Walker crossed the Continental Divide on November 9, 1833. They became the First American’s to explore the Yosemite Valley in California. On California they experienced their first earthquake and even saw the redwood trees. He also named one of the trails he made Walker Pass. Early in his career, he served as the sheriff in Jackson County for two terms. Humboldt Sink the Digger attacked him twice. After his years of service he settled down California in 1867 and retired. He died in Contra Costa County, California on the 13th of November, 1872 in his own