Frémont and His Scouts

Frémont and His Scouts. . , In 1843-1844 Capt. John C. Fremont explored the West. He named the Old Spanish Trail and the Great Basin - a vast region whose rivers drained inland, not to the sea. He first trekked to Oregon, then south through California, then back eastward through the Mojave Desert to Utah and Colorado., Three famous scouts guided the party: Thomas "Broken Hand" Fitzpatrick, a trapper with deep knowledge of Plains tribes; Kit Carson, who knew the trails of the South-west; and Alexis Godey, a mountain man and trapper familiar with the northern Rocky Mountains., These guides were not familiar with the Mojave Desert, but all could "read" the ground, find water and safe campsites, and were fearless in the face of danger. , In May 1844, Fremont followed the Spanish Trail down the Mojave River, North to the Amargosa River, then east to Utah via Las Vegas Valley and the Virgin River. The map of Fremont's route included Las Vegas Springs - the first time Las Vegas was named on any map., Charles Preuss included Las Vegas for the first time on any map when he charted Fremont's expedition.